UK won't lower food standards to win post-Brexit trade deals - minister
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s trade minister Liam Fox will “categorically” deny on Wednesday that the government plans to lower foods standards to win trade deals after Brexit.
FILE PHOTO: Britain's Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox leaves Downing Steet, London, Britain, October 9, 2018. REUTERS/Simon Dawson
The United States wants Britain to cut European Union regulations after Brexit to boost the chances of the two countries striking a free-trade deal.
To pave the way for a deal, Fox is planning to scrap European food standards, Business Insider reported last month.
“There have been a lot of reports lately, mostly on social media, that my department has been planning to lower food and farming standards when negotiating Free Trade Agreements post-Brexit,” Fox will tell farming industry representatives in a speech. “Let me tell you categorically that these reports are untrue.”
Opponents of Brexit argue a U.S. trade deal means opening up Britain’s markets to the likes of chlorine-treated chicken and genetically modified crops.
Fox played down public health concerns last year, saying consumers should be given a choice and the British media were obsessed with chlorine-washed chickens.
Reporting By Andrew MacAskill; editing by John Stonestreet
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