As uncertainty grows around a UK-US trade deal, the British Poultry Council has urged the Government to stand firm on food standards – or risk eroding decades of trust, investment, and progress.
British poultry meat production is a cornerstone of UK food security: unsubsidised, market-driven, and underpinned by decades of investment in animal welfare, food safety, traceability, and stewardship.
The Government has committed to upholding ‘red lines’ such as animal welfare, food safety, and bans on chlorine-washed chicken in UK-US trade talks. The BPC has now called on them to stand by these commitments.
BPC Chief Executive, Richard Griffiths, warned: “We must be clear: these ‘red lines’ are fine lines. We cannot afford to cross them unthinkingly. Trade isn’t just about what others bring to the table; it is about recognising the immense value of what our producers deliver. We feed the nation to standards we are proud to uphold, built on decades of investment and trust.”
The BPC said that permitting products produced to lower standards erases decades of progress made in British food production.
Griffiths continued: “Good trade deals boost growth and support productivity. The wrong ones risk undermining the very industries they aim to support.
“We don’t believe the Government would sell out its own producers for the illusion of a good deal, but their silence since Trump’s tariffs announcement is deafening. Now is not the time to go quiet. When producers are undercut, it’s not just industry that pays the price – it’s the public.”