UK-US Trade Deal Threatens Animal Welfare and British Farmers As Government Appears to Row Back On Commitments
- rainer802
- 19 hours ago
- 2 min read
Ministers must not abandon promises to “protect farmers from being undercut in trade deals” by focusing narrowly on food safety while leaving the door open to lower animal welfare imports
Animal Policy International is warning that an imminent UK-US trade deal, that may be rushed through in response to Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’, poses a significant threat to the UK’s animal welfare standards and higher welfare British farmers. While the government has emphasised it will maintain food safety regulations, it has not confirmed how it will also address the substantial animal welfare gap between UK and US production systems.
Recent statements from government officials ahead of the US Administration’s announcements on tariffs, appear to confirm that while the UK will maintain its ban on hormone-treated beef and chlorine-washed chicken, it is "looking to compromise in other areas" including "eliminating tariffs of up to 12 per cent on US beef, chicken and pork." Based on reporting in The Times and Politico, it appears the government’s red lines are primarily focused on maintaining existing import bans, which would only cover SPS (Sanitary and Phytosanitary) standards. However, this narrow focus risks the UK eliminating tariffs on products that violate domestic UK animal welfare laws. This would create a dangerous loophole that would allow imports produced using practices that would be illegal for British farmers.
"Focusing solely on food safety measures while ignoring animal welfare requirements widens an already dangerous loophole. British farmers who follow higher welfare standards mandated by UK law will be undermined by imports from production systems that would be illegal here,” said Mandy Carter, Co-Executive Director of Animal Policy International. “This issue of the UK effectively having our feet held to the fire over trade highlights why we urgently need legislation to protect UK standards and prevent them from being negotiated away in trade deals. It’s common sense: if it's too cruel to produce in Britain, then, it’s too cruel to import into Britain. ”
The regulatory gap between UK and US animal welfare standards is stark:
Pig welfare: Sow stalls remain legal in 39 US states but have been banned in the UK since 1999
Hens: Battery cages banned in the UK since 2012 are only prohibited in eleven US states
Painful procedures: Tail docking and castration on pigs are routinely performed without pain relief in the US
Slaughter: US poultry are excluded from humane slaughter laws with no federal requirement for stunning
Antibiotic use in US farming is on average 5 times higher than in the UK, with up to 16 times higher in cattle farming.
A recent survey shows 84% of British people - 5 out of 6 - support restricting or banning low-welfare imports that don't meet UK standards. Animal Policy International says this overwhelming public sentiment should be reflected in trade policy, and is calling on the government to introduce legislation ensuring all agricultural imports meet the same animal welfare standards required of British farmers, not just food safety requirements.
Read the UK-US trade paper and the full media release.