The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) has raised concerns over the impact a possible US-UK trade deal could have on animal welfare standards.
The organisation said it is concerned that a trade deal between the two countries would open the UK food market to lower welfare produce such as chlorinated chicken or hormone-treated beef.
The group has urged the UK government to ensure protecting animal welfare will be ‘at the heart’ of any trade talks.
The RSPCA said that at the National Farmers Union conference this year, the UK government pledged never to lower food standards in trade agreements.
The government also said that they would use the full range of powers at their disposal to protect the UK’s “most sensitive sectors”.
RSPCA head of public affairs David Bowles said: “As ‘Liberation Day’ approaches, discussions on any possible future trade deal between the UK and US are set to come under the public spotlight.
“But we remain steadfast that the striking of any deal with the US must not make concessions that allow imported animal products produced to very low welfare standards onto our supermarket shelves.
“The UK currently bans products such as chlorinated chicken and hormone-treated beef, as well as cruel farming practices such as the conventional battery egg cage or pig sow stalls.
“Unless we uphold these standards for imports as well as home-produced goods, we face a race to the bottom, where price, not quality, influences what ends up on our supermarket shelves.”
The RSPCA said it would also like to see the commitment to protecting the UK’s domestic animal welfare standards included in any UK trade strategy, and all current animal welfare laws to be kept to the same standard, including:
- All animals to still be recognised as being sentient
- Free trade agreements that prohibit products being imported with lower welfare standards
- Improvements in key areas of animal welfare, such as long distance transport, food labelling, trade of endangered species, and puppy imports.
Last week Reform UK leader Nigel Farage received backlash after saying in a radio interview that the US would “want US agricultural products to be sold in Britain” as part of any deal.
