USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue continues to press the European Union (EU) on trade issues relative to agriculture, pushing the bloc to follow “sound science” when it comes to matters on food safety, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and other matters. Perdue is currently in Europe and met with ag ministers from EU countries.
The issue of poultry trade figures to be a key as Europe said it will not accept so-called “chlorine-washed” poultry, referring to the U.S. practice of using a chemical wash to remove pathogens from chicken. Perdue said the U.S. does not use chlorine but peracetic acid. “Peracetic acid … is a great pathogen reduction treatment,” he told reporters in Brussels. “You know what it is? It is vinegar, essentially. To say that is unsafe or not to be used… we do not think there is a basis for that in sound science.”
On biotechnology, Perdue also chided Europe for its views on GMO crops. “I use the example of table salt that can be hazardous if you consume it in too much quantity, but we use it regularly,” Perdue explained. “And that is why we have the MRL (maximum residue level) for pesticides.” Perdue said the stance by Europe is going to put European farmers behind since they are not able to adopt technology used by growers in other areas of the world.
Perdue also heard complaints from EU farm ministers on U.S. trade policies, including the use of tariffs on a host of goods. His stance on including agriculture in any U.S.-EU trade deal was also emphasized, with him criticizing offers to remove barriers to U.S. apples, pears and shellfish as not enough. "We are not going to get there with apples and pears and shellfish. There are other things have to happen," he said.
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