16 April 2025
“Stand firm on British food standards,” says BPC Chief Executive
British Poultry Council urges Government to double-down in UK-US trade talks.
As uncertainty grows around a UK-US trade deal, the British Poultry Council urges the Government to stand firm on food standards – or risk eroding decades of trust, investment, and progress.
British poultry meat production is a cornerstone of UK food security: unsubsidised, market-driven, and underpinned by decades of investment in animal welfare, food safety, traceability, and stewardship. That investment has done more than raise our standards. It has driven productivity, fuelled growth, and built a food system the public trust and value
“These ‘red lines’ are fine lines.”
The Government has committed to upholding ‘red lines’ such as animal welfare, food safety, and bans on chlorine-washed chicken in UK-US trade talks. British poultry meat producers call on them to stand by these commitments.
BPC Chief Executive, Richard Griffiths, warns: “We must be clear: these ‘red lines’ are fine lines. We cannot afford to cross them unthinkingly.
Trade isn’t just about what others bring to the table; it is about recognising the immense value of what our producers deliver. We feed the nation to standards we are proud to uphold, built on decades of investment and trust.
Time and again the Government has assured us that deals will reflect the quality and integrity of our industry. We are holding them to that – because if agrifood becomes a bargaining chip, then we all lose.”
“Growth without integrity is a shortcut to failure.
The poultry meat sector warns that permitting products produced to lower standards erases decades of progress made in British food production.
Mr Griffiths continued: “Good trade deals boost growth and support productivity. The wrong ones risk undermining the very industries they aim to support.
We don’t believe the Government would sell out its own producers for the illusion of a good deal, but their silence since Trump’s tariffs announcement is deafening. Now is not the time to go quiet. When producers are undercut, it’s not just industry that pays the price – it’s the public.”
The British Poultry Council calls on the Government to be loud and unwavering in standing up for the standards that define our sector.
Mr Griffiths concluded: “This isn’t about ‘chlorinated chicken.’ This is about the values that underpin our food system. Growth without integrity is a shortcut to failure. It’s time to lead boldly and live by the standards that define British food.”