[Politics] Tories vote to reduce food standards

[Lincoln Imp]

Surely should be in the Brexit thread ?

I would have thought you would have welcomed another forum in which you could describe people forced for reasons of poverty to search out the cheapest poultry as 'stupid'.





Anybody stupid enough to... buy chicken from a supermarket rather than a butcher won't care anyway so why does it matter ?

 

[narly101]

Usual scaremongering by the left wing and reamoaners , the government has repeatedly said the current EU standards of food and farming will be transferred as a whole to UK law at a later point in the year, the amendments and adjustments to this process will just make that simple process of transfer of current EU standards to UK standards alot more complicated by changing it at this time!

Didn't know the Telegraph who broke the story was a left wing paper. Colour me very surprised.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/06/03/britain-ready-allow-import-chlorinated-chicken-us/

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

O well, Farmers knew what they were voting for.

 

[clapham_gull]

its curious how one can vote for something by voting for legislation that doesnt include that thing. presumably food standards under other legislation still stand, unless they have been repealled, which the article makes no mention of.

Because the legislation isn't going to mention "chicken" is it ?

What's now being negotiated is a "two tier" food standards system where a tariff is applied to imported food that doesn't meet UK standards. They've opened the door.

Two other things have happened.

1) Our Government has folded under pressure from the US.
2) The Government has lied.

Ministers are said to be open to giving access to the controversial US food products, that also include hormone-fed beef and crops treated with 82 different pesticides banned in the EU, but applying tariffs on them to protect UK-based farmers from competition.

Under the so-called “dual tariff” system being looked at, American agribusiness would be allowed to sell goods in the UK even if they were not complying with the same production standards as British farmers – as long as they paid the tariff.

Some ministers, such as free-marketer Liz Truss, want to go further, the Daily Telegraph reports – and gradually reduce these tariffs to zero over 10 years, giving farmers time to adjust to the new normal.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Surely someone yourself that refuses eat in Donatello's and uses an artisan butcher will want this highlighted with its own thread?

What the fvck is an artisan butcher ? I just use my local butcher - Wickenden - and their chicken is cheaper than the supermarket and not pumped full of water.

I would have thought you would have welcomed another forum in which you could describe people forced for reasons of poverty to search out the cheapest poultry as 'stupid'.

Local butchers are actually cheaper than supermarkets.

 

[The Clamp]

As Churchill said when his cabinet urged him to sue for peace to save the lives of the BEF on the beaches of Dunkirk:

"That door stays shut. The moment we open it a crack, it blows wide open"

 

[BBassic]

Politicians say X definitely won't happen.
X happens.

Anybody surprised?

Note - originally I'd put 'Tories' but, weirdly, felt that to be a touch unfair. They're (politicians) all liars.

 

[The Clamp]

What the fvck is an artisan butcher ? I just use my local butcher - Wickenden - and their chicken is cheaper than the supermarket and not pumped full of water.



Local butchers are actually cheaper than supermarkets.

Stupid people don't know that.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

View attachment 124476

Usual scaremongering by the left wing and reamoaners , the government has repeatedly said the current EU standards of food and farming will be transferred as a whole to UK law at a later point in the year, the amendments and adjustments to this process will just make that simple process of transfer of current EU standards to UK standards alot more complicated by changing it at this time!

The Telegraph is left wing?

 

[nicko31]

What the fvck is an artisan butcher ? I just use my local butcher - Wickenden - and their chicken is cheaper than the supermarket and not pumped full of water.



Local butchers are actually cheaper than supermarkets.

If he's cheaper than the supermarket he's using the local Cash and Carry and giving you a nice story.

 

[Gwylan]

Because the legislation isn't going to mention "chicken" is it ?

What's now being negotiated is a "two tier" food standards system where a tariff is applied to imported food that doesn't meet UK standards. They've opened the door.

Two other things have happened.

1) Our Government has folded under pressure from the US.
2) The Government has lied.

I'm no expert on this but as I understand it if there's no EU deal (as now looks likely) and we revert to WTO terms then WTO tariffs apply - unless the UK government chooses not to apply them. If that's the case, then the government can't distinguish betweeen imports from country X and country Y - in other words, the same tariff applies. However, if there's any sort of trade agreement (in other words, not WTO rules) then there can be separate tariffs.

However, tariffs are only half the issue. If we agree a tariff free deal with the US and it undercuts UK farmers because of lower standards, the UK can, of course, maintain the same standards as before. If we lower standards, then we can't export to the EU.

An added complication is (and this has to be confirmed) that the US insists that the food can't be labelled as coming from the US so, if you're buying a chicken in a supermarket, you don't know where it's from.

The government haven't confirmed that this will happen as they've previously said this wouldn't happen, we can safely assume it will

 

[The Clamp]

Well, here we go. The first stage in being Trump's little bitch. What are Brexiteers thinking? That we went to Trump, begging for his chlorinated chicken? Like it was our choice? We would have been forced to accept this to get even the most meagre of deals.
Probably about the worst negotiating tactic we could have employed; Cave in on something we said we would never surrender. On the first round of negotiations. Trump knows he can now get us to agree to any of his demands.

What's next on Trump's wish list, I wonder? I'll give you a clue, you've been clapping for it every Thursday for the last 9 weeks.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

If he's cheaper than the supermarket he's using the local Cash and Carry and giving you a nice story.

Really ? Somewhat backs up your previous posts confusing the EU with the Eurozone - i.e. you don't know what you are talking about ! You've clearly been mind washed into believing supermarkets actually provide 100% meat. Horse anyone ?

 

[The Large One]

This is exactly the issue. This won’t affect the butchers or the packs of organic chicken breasts on the supermarket shelves.

The chlorinated chicken will be the cheap shit which we don’t actually pay attention to. It’ll be the chicken in ready meals, meal deal sandwiches, processed chicken products, fried chicken shops and the like. The market isn’t stupid, they know chlorinated chicken is unpopular so they will hide it where people aren’t looking.

The problem will be that, once this product is allowed into the country, the stringent UK / EU food standard rules - including contents, farm location, country of source etc. - won't apply, as the UK will have jettisoned those.

In short, there's a good chance you won't know what you're buying, unless the supermarkets unilaterally either (a) don't buy the US chlorinated chicken or (b) continue with food labelling.

 

[cunning fergus]

Of course you could just stop eating chicken and the problem is solved

Indeed, it’s ironic that in a week when thousands of British people have even more ravenously than normal consumed the politics and social issues of the US that many are now turning their noses up at its chicken. I guess it’s possible they got mental issues after eating all that horse meat product which were labelled as beef under the robust EU food standard system.

I have to say, unlike the complainers, I have been to the US and the chicken I ate there was very tasty.......it never struck me that in the US their food had quality issues, the problem was quantity! If only these little minded European types would travel they would understand there is a whole world out there and it tastes good!

 

[Westdene Seagull]

The problem will be that, once this product is allowed into the country, the stringent UK / EU food standard rules - including contents, farm location, country of source etc. - won't apply, as the UK will have jettisoned those.

In short, there's a good chance you won't know what you're buying, unless the supermarkets unilaterally either (a) don't buy the US chlorinated chicken or (b) continue with food labelling.

Unless of course the deal includes where the meat came from. And of course there is currently no deal agreed !

 

[clapham_gull]

I'm no expert on this but as I understand it if there's no EU deal (as now looks likely) and we revert to WTO terms then WTO tariffs apply - unless the UK government chooses not to apply them. If that's the case, then the government can't distinguish betweeen imports from country X and country Y - in other words, the same tariff applies. However, if there's any sort of trade agreement (in other words, not WTO rules) then there can be separate tariffs.

However, tariffs are only half the issue. If we agree a tariff free deal with the US and it undercuts UK farmers because of lower standards, the UK can, of course, maintain the same standards as before. If we lower standards, then we can't export to the EU.

An added complication is (and this has to be confirmed) that the US insists that the food can't be labelled as coming from the US so, if you're buying a chicken in a supermarket, you don't know where it's from.

The government haven't confirmed that this will happen as they've previously said this wouldn't happen, we can safely assume it will

Isn't there some massive complication with the "source" of ingredients. ?

 

[studio150]

So Johnson and the Government are running around agreeing to anything just to get a trade deal with America that will only add 0.2% to GDP, but with the lower food standards mean that the EU market will be closed to British Farmer
The tariffs proposed on American foodstuffs will quickly fall away, so that the UK incidents of food poisoning will increase to American levels.
And good luck with trying to not buy American as part of the FTA will be removal of country of origin on foodstuffs.

So maybe project fear was actually project fact, but Johnson and his crowd won't worry a it gets Brexit Done, the only trouble is that the oven ready deal is going to make you ill.

 

[nicko31]

Really ? Somewhat backs up your previous posts confusing the EU with the Eurozone - i.e. you don't know what you are talking about ! You've clearly been mind washed into believing supermarkets actually provide 100% meat. Horse anyone ?

5kg of chicken breast for £20? Do you want cheaper?

 

[The Large One]

Unless of course the deal includes where the meat came from. And of course there is currently no deal agreed !

If you read earlier posts, it has been stated that WTO rules don't state about any product needing to offer up country of origin. Plus the Americans don't want food labelling.

So where do you think that deal is heading?