Farmers furious after ministers backtrack on vow to stop US selling chlorinated poultry in Britain

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MINISTERS came under fire for refusing to enshrine a promise to safeguard standards for imported food into law.

Boris Johnson has repeatedly pledged not to allow post-Brexit trade deals to water down current rules that ban controversial products such as chlorinated chicken or hormone treated beef from the United States.

Farmers are furious after ministers chickened out of a promise to make it illegal for the US to sell chlorinated chicken in Britain

But it has emerged the vow was omitted from the Agriculture Bill, published this week, that lays out a new regime for farming after Britains EU exit.

The move gives the government wiggle room when negotiating a major new free trade agreement with the United States.

Agriculture is major issues for US Congressmen and Senators, who are expected to block any new deal that doesnt allow Americas farmers better access to Britains market.

But it left farmers angry, who insisted cheaper imports with lower hygiene standards would undercut their products.

The National Farming Union said: Farmers across the country will still want to see legislation underpinning the governments assurances that they will not allow the imports of food produced to standards that would be illegal here through future trade deals.

We will continue to press the government to introduce a standards commission as a matter of priority to oversee and advise on future food trade policy and negotiations.

Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers repeated the PMs pledge only last week, telling the Oxford Farming Conference that the government would rather have no trade deal at all rather than one that lowered food standards.

UK’S ‘HIGH STANDARDS’

Ms Villiers said: Please be reassured. We will not dilute our high standards of food safety and animal welfare.

In our forthcoming trade negotiations, this Government will be prepared to walk away from those negotiations if that is in the national interest.

No10 added last night: We have made this commitment a number of times. There will be no reduction in food standards after Brexit.

Meanwhile, Europes Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan yesterday tore in to the PMs hopes of getting a full trade deal with the EU in place by the end of the year, dubbing it just not possible.

Irish politician Mr Hogan insisted: Certainly by the end of the year we are not going to get everything thats in the 36-page document on the future relationship agreed, because Prime Minister Johnson decided we are going to have everything concluded by the end of the year.

Calling on Mr Johnson to change his mind and agree to extend the transition period for longer talks, he added: I think weve seen that putting ourselves into timelines in the last few years have not been that helpful, especially in the way it played out in the House of Commons.

The skirmish came as German leader Angela Merkel warned Brussels that Brexit is a wake up call for the EU.

The German Chancellor said she was worried the UK could pose a serious economic threat to the EU, and the bloc has to lift its game to stay relevant.

Boris Johnson repeatedly pledged not to allow post-Brexit trade deals to relax current rules that ban products such as chemical-washed poultry

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