this post was submitted on 04 Apr 2025
202 points (99.0% liked)

UK Politics

3590 readers
497 users here now

General Discussion for politics in the UK.
Please don't post to both !uk_politics@feddit.uk and !unitedkingdom@feddit.uk .
Pick the most appropriate, and put it there.

Posts should be related to UK-centric politics, and should be either a link to a reputable news source for news, or a text post on this community.

Opinion pieces are also allowed, provided they are not misleading/misrepresented/drivel, and have proper sources.

If you think "reputable news source" needs some definition, by all means start a meta thread. (These things should be publicly discussed)

Posts should be manually submitted, not by bot. Link titles should not be editorialised.

Disappointing comments will generally be left to fester in ratio, outright horrible comments will be removed.
Message the mods if you feel something really should be removed, or if a user seems to have a pattern of awful comments.

!ukpolitics@lemm.ee appears to have vanished! We can still see cached content from this link, but goodbye I guess! :'(

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Britain must allow US chlorine-washed chicken into UK markets if it wants relief from sweeping tariffs, Donald Trump has indicated.

It comes after the UK failed to avoid tariffs imposed on the global economy, with the US president slapping a 10 per cent levies on all British exports to the United States.

...

In a statement published alongside the tariff announcement, the White House said: “The UK maintains non-science-based standards that severely restrict US exports of safe, high-quality beef and poultry products.”

It suggested that Britain’s ban on chlorinated chicken was among a range of “non-tariff barriers” that limit the US’s ability to trade.

The UK has long ruled out allowing imports of chlorine-washed chicken from the US due to health concerns, with Downing Street on Thursday reiterating its manifesto commitment to high food standards.

Asked whether the UK could allow imports of chlorine washed chicken in order to appease the US, the prime minister’s officials spokesperson said: “Our position on that is unchanged. You’ve got the manifesto commitment on food standards, which obviously remains.”

...

The last major polling done on the issue, conducted in 2020, revealed that 80 per cent of Britons are opposed to allowing imports to the UK, and the same proportion is also against allowing chicken products that have been farmed using hormones.

There is also growing pressure from the farming industry to rule out concessions on the issue, amid fears it could undercut British farmers and drive down food standards.

Nigel Farage admitted he would allow American chlorine-washed chicken to be sold in the UK as part of a free trade deal with the US.

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] b161@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 8 hours ago

Keep your filthy American chicken.

[–] FelixCress@lemmy.world 7 points 9 hours ago

Britain must allow US chlorine-washed chicken into UK markets

Go and fuck yourself.

[–] cupcakezealot@lemmy.blahaj.zone 18 points 15 hours ago

just rejoin the eu and you don't have to worry about the us as a trading partner

[–] futatorius@lemm.ee 27 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

Don't buy tainted food. Align as closely as possible with the EU and push back on this bullshit.

[–] HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 7 points 17 hours ago

Or buy it for pet food. And demand the US buys our new fresh thames drinking water in exchange.

[–] Jumi@lemmy.world 28 points 19 hours ago (3 children)

You wash chicken in chlorine? What the fuck, why?

[–] Jhex@lemmy.world 34 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago) (1 children)

Literally to kill some of the filth the chickens are raised in and fool safety tests

It's a shortcut in regulations to allow cheaper conditions at the expense of consumers' health and this was well established before Musk gutted the FDA

Buying any food stuff from the USA from now on would be equivalent to a modern wet market

[–] pupbiru@aussie.zone 3 points 15 hours ago

when i’m in the US i literally feel nauseous constantly, my lips tingle, and my tongue hurts… i don’t know what the fuck is in the food over there but something is absolutely fucking me up

sanitary conditions don't maximize shareholder value

[–] PixellatedDave@feddit.uk 2 points 15 hours ago

You really don't want the answer to that...

[–] skozzii@lemmy.ca 14 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

US factory farming is as disgusting as it is unethical.

[–] Chakravanti@monero.town 1 points 8 hours ago

You're not using enough words to properly describe. I don't think there are enough words in existence to properly do so either.

[–] Mex@feddit.uk 5 points 15 hours ago

He can fuck off.

[–] mrsjmccrimmon@feddit.uk 35 points 22 hours ago (3 children)

>It suggested that Britain’s ban on chlorinated chicken was among a range of “non-tariff barriers” that limit the US’s ability to trade.

Non-tariff barriers like checks notes food safety.

[–] Jhex@lemmy.world 5 points 19 hours ago

Non-tariff barriers like checks notes food safety.

Yeap, what do you think they mean when they rally against "rEGulAtiOns"

All they want is to cut costs and swallow extra profits

[–] HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 2 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

Non-tariff barriers like checks notes. Anything that questions the US rule he agrees with. As being anything but perfect.

That is his real irritation. He dose not think animal welfare is important. So any nation that bases rules on things he disagrees with is wrong. And must bow to his superiority.

[–] Emperor@feddit.uk 9 points 22 hours ago

If you put it like that, it sounds bad.

[–] Trilobyte@feddit.uk 5 points 15 hours ago

This is the "drink bleach to cure COVID" all over again

[–] webpack@ani.social 9 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

“The UK maintains non-science-based standards that severely restrict US exports of safe, high-quality beef and poultry products.”

so now we care about science? but still not for climate change/vaccines

[–] HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 4 points 16 hours ago

Science only matters when it fails to defend people he wants to fuck over

[–] hitmyspot@aussie.zone 134 points 1 day ago

The issue is not that the chicken is chlorine washed. It's that it needs to be chlorine washed to be safe because of the terrible industry practices.

It's bad for the animals, bad for the taste and bad for your health. So there is no reason to allow it when there is no supply issue. Food is more expensive but the savings from USA imports won't change that in any significant way.

[–] Grimtuck@lemmy.world 58 points 1 day ago

We don't want the meat off your sick chickens thanks very much!

[–] PixelTron@lemm.ee 44 points 1 day ago
[–] intheformbelow@lemmy.world 18 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

Well, let's see if the UK will now be more interested in strengthening ties with Canada now that they are no longer spared. I don't blame the UK for trying to stay out of the US-Canada tariff conflict, but eventually they'll have to make hard decisions. Canada always stood by the UK, part of the British Empire, as a dominion and as an independent state. Canadians joined the UK to fight in both world wars, and many made the ultimate sacrifice which us, modern Canadians, honour with reverence. We never forgot our historical ties. Will the UK reciprocate?

[–] Coldcell@sh.itjust.works 5 points 22 hours ago

Canada is and hopefully always will be a true ally and friend of the UK.

[–] Blaster_M@lemmy.world 32 points 1 day ago

As An American, I can say, our chicken sucks, you don't want it europeans

[–] Nougat@fedia.io 38 points 1 day ago (4 children)
[–] Empricorn@feddit.nl 4 points 15 hours ago

When (normal) people don't like you, force is the only way to get them to do what you want. Unrelated, but remember when a judge had to clarify in court that Donald J. Trump is a rapist?

[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 19 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Which is the only way the Mango Mussolini ever knew of to get what he wants.

That's part of why he's so inept as a businessman: he refuses to consider the wishes, priorities, and well-being of others, even when doing so could benefit himself.

[–] Empricorn@feddit.nl 3 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

If Trump could read, I would recommend How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. But I guess he would get tripped up on the parts about empathizing with others to accomplish mutual goals...

[–] Emperor@feddit.uk 10 points 22 hours ago

That's the point of the tariffs. We've held out against all sorts of American demands, so they ratchet up the pressure to sign a trade deal preferable to them and soon we are allowing minging food, dropping the Digital Service Tax and watering down the Online Safety Act.

It's an incredibly crude way of negotiating but it's not like Trump is known for his subtlety.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Ilixtze@lemm.ee 24 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Grandfather Nurgle really is steering the US Isn't it?

[–] Emperor@feddit.uk 5 points 23 hours ago

He is generous with his gifts.

[–] 01011@monero.town 5 points 21 hours ago

Wouldn't it be funny if the majority of the UK became vegetarian all of a sudden?

[–] CheeseNoodle@lemmy.world 6 points 22 hours ago (2 children)

I think we all know how this is going to end... Oh well looks like soon i'll have to cut all chicken out of my diet.

[–] futatorius@lemm.ee 4 points 18 hours ago

As long as they label the chicken, even if it's just with country of origin, this is a situation the market will handle.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Goldholz@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Next you tell switzerland to import and sell your chocolate?

[–] TassieTosser@aussie.zone 6 points 21 hours ago (2 children)

No one eats that vomit tasting faeces except the US. I'd rather be forced to eat Cadbury.

Cadbury is owned by and American company now.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] TwinTitans@lemmy.world 13 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Ultimately the people have the power. Do not buy it.

[–] Emperor@feddit.uk 14 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Step 1: force us to take minging chicken.

Step 2: force us to remove the country of origin because adding it is anticompetitive.

[–] Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 6 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago) (2 children)

step 3: domestic producers start putting the farm of origin on the package, ultimately leading to more transparency and the complete annihilation of imports in favour of local production.

step 4: blame the liberals

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] Jhex@lemmy.world 5 points 18 hours ago

While you are technically correct, in practice it's much harder

Monopolization, weak labelling laws, market delimitation and collusion all come in play to make sure the users cannot make an educated guess

At some point in the USA they wanted to introduce rotting meat which the industry claimed could ve made safe by irradiating. However, existing laws would require biohazard labels which nobody would buy, so the industry lobbied for the market friendly, consumer fooling, title of "cold pasteurisation"

[–] elgordino@fedia.io 27 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It can be hard to know the origin of your chicken when you’re eating at restaurants and buying other prepared foods.

[–] marble@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

If I can't tell then I'll eat vegetarian options.

[–] GreatAlbatross@feddit.uk 4 points 20 hours ago

I think I've said before; If I can't be certain of the origin of the chicken, I just won't eat it in the future.

load more comments
view more: next ›