DONALD Trump’s UK ambassador clashed with senior Tories yesterday in a bust-up over “backward” chlorinated chicken.
Woody Johnson said opposition to US produce was nothing more than an attempt to “create barriers” to trade.
Getty – Contributor
It came after ex-Fisheries Minister George Eustice launched an astonishing attack on US food standards.
And he said: “If Americans want to be granted privileged access to the UK market, they will have to learn to abide by British law and British standards.
“Or they can kiss goodbye to any trade deal and join the back of the queue.”
Separate figures showed the pressure on Donald Trump to boost US exports as the US trade gap was revealed to have jumped to a ten-year high.
America brought in £472.5 billion more imports than exports in 2018.
Washington last week set out the terms of a trade deal with the UK last month – spelling it that it expected Britain to accept US agricultural produce such as chlorinated chicken and hormone-treated beef.
Mr Eustice, a key ally of Environment Secretary Michael Gove until he quit last week, yesterday insisted the UK and US were world’s apart on food standards.
He said: “Agriculture in the US remains quite backward in many respects.”
And he demanded Ministers stand firm rather than concede to US demands in an attempt to grab opportunities for British firms in US services.
He said: “In the court of public opinion, if the choice is between the commercial interests of banks or the welfare of chickens, the chickens will win every time.”
Woody Johnson insisted any deal had to “include farming”.
And he said: “American farmers care about their land just as much as they do here, and their animals.
“I would submit that a lot of these statements are designed perhaps by the EU to create barriers to US farm products.”
