The exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union (EU) represents an opportunity to address an “unscientific ban” on imports of U.S. poultry due to the use of antimicrobial washes, according to some 47 U.S. House lawmakers that are members of the Congressional Chicken Caucus.
The situation means the U.S. is in a position “to negotiate an agreement with the UK that resolves this unscientific ban once and for all.”
The lawmakers pointed out in the letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer that “Antimicrobial spray washes are used in the production process to improve food safety. All rinses, including chlorine, must be approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and their use is limited to specific amounts.” Plus, they noted that only 10% of U.S. chicken processing plants use chlorine throughout their production. “Scientific research, including that of the European Food Safety Authority, confirms using chlorine-washed poultry does not pose any human health concerns, nor is it present in the final product,” the lawmakers said.
Getting the UK to lift the ban “will set the stage for future agreements, such as with the EU, and reinforce the administration’s stance that U.S. farmers and ranchers are an integral part of the American economy that should not be left behind.”
The letter focuses on an issue that Lighthizer has already tabbed as one that is important to the U.S., but also he has predicted it will not be “the” issue that sinks the trade talks.
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