Boris Johnson just gave a clear signal he plans to ditch UK food standards to secure a Trump trade deal

Reuters

Boris Johnson and Donald Trump

• The UK government has given its clearest sign yet that it plans to shift away from accepting EU food standards in order to secure a post-Brexit trade deal with Trump.
• The UK farming industry fears that Johnson will ditch current EU standards which forbid the sale of products such as chlorinated chicken and hormone-injected beef.
• Johnson is refusing to sign up to maintain EU rules after the end of the Brexit transition period.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The United Kingdom has just given its clearest sign yet that it plans to ditch its commitment to maintaining EU food standards after Brexit in order to secure a post-Brexit trade deal with Donald Trump.

UK officials will break away from strict EU rules on sanitary and phytosanitary measures, which cover food and agricultural goods, at an upcoming meeting of the World Trade Organisation, City AM reports.

The UK is currently in an 11-month, post-Brexit transition period, during which it will continue to follow all EU rules and regulations - including those relating to food standards.

However Johnson's government will at this meeting make a "clear statement about future intentions" on how the UK will approach food standards in its future trade deals with the US and other countries, City AM reports.

Last month, the National Farmers' Union's Brexit director told Business Insider that the industry fears the government will ultimately trade away current UK food standards in talks with "fearsome" US negotiators.

"We all know in a trade negotiation, at some point, it [the UK] is going to need to make concessions," Nick von Westenholz told Business Insider.

"And this isn't a negotiation with a small partner where the UK can flex its muscles.

"This is a negotiation with one of the largest economies in the world with an absolutely fearsome reputation for negotiating trade deals, and one which under the current administration is even more transactional in the way it views trade relationships."

EU rules block US food like chicken and beef from entering its markets due to rules on hygiene and animal welfare.

While Prime Minister Johnson has said the UK will not lower its food standards after leaving the EU, he has also said his government's policy will be dictated "by science and not by mumbo jumbo."

Boris Johnson wants to break free from EU rules

Oli Scarff - WPA Pool/Getty Images

Any shift away from EU rules at the WTO meeting would irk Brussels. The Brexit deal agreed by the UK ties the country to a "duty of sincere cooperation" clause, which obliges both sides to act in good faith during the departure process.

The NFU is urging the government to include a legal commitment to maintaining current levels of food standards in a piece of legislation called the Agriculture Bill. However, ministers are refusing to do so.

The UK is set to begin negotiating a trade deal with the US in the next few weeks.

The Trump administration has said it will prioritise access to Britain's agricultural markets when trade talks begin.

The US Trade Representative's objectives for negotiations, published last year, said the UK "should remove expeditiously unwarranted barriers that block the export of U.S. food and agricultural products."

It added that "unjustified trade restrictions" enforced in the UK as a result of its recently-expired EU membership "eliminate practices that unfairly decrease U.S. market access opportunities."

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