Waitrose’s new boss has urged the government to protect food standards in any post-Brexit deal, along with other food industry experts, farmers and campaigners.
James Bailey, who joined the supermarket chain after leaving Sainsbury’s in April, said he would not stock such products, deeming it as unacceptable to allow UK’s high trading standards to slip.
In Waitrose Weekly magazine, Mr Bailey stated that any regression “from the standards we have pioneered for the last 30 years, both as a business and as a country, would be an unacceptable backwards step. I feel sure that customers will share our view”.
He added: “We would be closing our eyes to a problem that exists in another part of the world and to animals who are out of our sight and our minds”.
A petition by the National Farming Union (NFU) has already collected over one million signatures to ban cheap imports, such as chlorinated chicken and hormone-treated beef.
Several MP’s have shared their support in wanting to see trade policies reviewed after more than 78,000 people wrote to their constituency about the issue.
Shoppers also appear to be in favour with the ongoing campaign according to a Which? survey, with research finding that 95% of people saying it is important for the UK to maintain existing food standards, which ban the use of pesticides and chlorine-washing.
A further 86% admitted they fear a fall in standards could lead to products imported to the UK being banned from importing of products.
Trade Secretary Liz Truss said that the proposed ban is ‘already in law’, citing that the EU Withdrawal Act is clear on maintaining health and animal welfare standards post-Brexit.
She said: “Not only that but we will not sign a trade deal that leaves our farming industry, with its high animal welfare standards, worse off.
“In fact, the opposite is true. My officials and I are working round the clock to ensure any trade deal we strike has British farmers at its heart and one that British shoppers have confidence in.”
Tesco also announced they would not sell chlorinated chicken from the US, while Morrisons confirmed they only sell freshly produced UK meat.
