Uk Looked At Ways To ‘open Doors’ To Us Chlorinated Chicken, Foi Request Shows

British officials were briefed connected nan anticipation of allowing chemical-washed chickenhearted into nan UK earlier a gathering pinch nan US embassy, caller documents reveal.

The Food Standards Agency is besides looking astatine studies performed successful nan US connected washing chickenhearted pinch bacteriophages, including chlorine dioxide, to region pathogens, according to nan documents, released to nan run group 38 Degrees nether state of accusation laws.

Ministers person many times said they person “no plans” to let chickenhearted washed pinch chlorine and different chemicals into nan UK, contempt unit from nan Trump management to do truthful during waste and acquisition woody talks.

In nan US, farmers are allowed to usage chlorine washes and different disinfectants to region harmful germs that whitethorn person infected chickens during rearing and slaughter. The EU banned nan believe successful 1997, starring to a long-running conflict complete imports of chickenhearted from nan US. There are concerns that chlorine whitethorn compensate aliases disguise poorer hygiene and animal use standards earlier successful nan nutrient chain.

During waste and acquisition woody negotiations past year, nan US agriculture secretary, Brooke Rollins, said US agriculture was being treated “very unfairly” by countries specified arsenic nan UK, and she wanted nan UK to judge “all meat” from nan US.

The White House advisor Peter Navarro astatine nan aforesaid clip called sanitary standards a “phoney instrumentality utilized to suppress what is very good American cultivation product” and said nan marketplace should decide, adding: “We don’t judge that erstwhile [British people] sensation American beef and chickenhearted that they would for illustration not to person it.”

The documents corroborate that high-level briefings were prepared for a gathering betwixt a Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) head and nan US embassy successful London connected aliases astir 4 December 2025, during nan waste and acquisition woody talks.

It confirmed that it would beryllium imaginable to alteration standards to let for chemical-washed chicken, reading: “Pathogen simplification curen rules (including decontamination pinch chlorine) are group retired successful UK hygiene legislation. The authorities provides for caller substances to beryllium authorised for use, only aft a rigorous UK consequence study process.”

A abstracted petition to nan Food Standards Agency revealed nan authorities quango “did behaviour activity connected nan spot of grounds for nan effectiveness of interventions against campylobacter [a type of germs that tin origin diarrhoea] astatine various stages of nan nutrient chain, this included a reappraisal of chemic treatments including studies performed successful nan USA. These reports are presently being prepared for publication pinch a position to being published connected our website successful precocious May.” This activity was conducted astir nan aforesaid clip arsenic nan waste and acquisition talks.

Matthew McGregor, CEO astatine 38 Degrees, said: “These documents uncovered by 38 Degrees beryllium that while nan authorities is publically telling america they person ‘no plans’ to little our nutrient standards, down closed doors it’s a different story.

“A ‘plan’ tin alteration pinch nan changeable of a pen. With officials being briefed connected precisely really nan UK could unfastened its doors to chlorinated chickenhearted successful bid to appease Donald Trump, it seems nothing’s disconnected nan table. This revelation will beryllium a origin for interest for consumers crossed nan country, who person zero appetite for chlorinated chicken.

“The British public’s connection is clear: they don’t want to perceive astir ‘legislative processes’ for toxic washes, they want a cast-iron guarantee that our nutrient standards are not for sale.”

Defra has been contacted for comment.