Chlorinated chicken and hormone-treated beef

[Rainwaterrunoff]

The UK is currently in the midst of negotiating a trade agreement with the US and there are two factors to watch very closely:
1) To what extent will this Conservative government protect the inrerests of the British farmer who cannot compete against the highly subsidised monocropped corn, soya bean and wheat?
and
2) Will the current animal welfare standards in the UK be undercut by US imports where high meat production is achieved through Confined Animal Feed Operations (CAFOs) and low animal welfare standards?
Ever since the Nixon administration and the reforms of the Secretary of Agriculture Butz, the goal has been to market surpluses of cheap commodity products both at home and abroad in any way possible to ensure American farmer profits are maintained.
I found this article very disturbing ref. point 2:
Cabinet unrest over U-turn on animal welfare in US trade talks

Cabinet unrest over U-turn on animal welfare in US trade talks

Leaked letter instructs ministers to have ‘no specific policy’ on the issue

www.theguardian.com

 

[Yale]

Apparently US beef is virtually the same price as ours so they won’t be making inroads.

Regarding chicken they would probably just compete with other countries who currently supply the UK like Poland,Thailand etc.

 

[ollie989898]

British farmer who cannot compete against the highly subsidised monocropped corn, soya bean and wheat?

Aren't British farmers also doing this?

 

[Spencer]

British farmer who cannot compete against the highly subsidised monocropped corn, soya bean and wheat?

Aren't British farmers also doing this?

No... we have to grow THREE crops ?

 

[manhill]

Apparently US beef is virtually the same price as ours so they won’t be making inroads.

Regarding chicken they would probably just compete with other countries who currently supply the UK like Poland,Thailand etc.

If our price at the moment is comparable there must be a bigger profit margin if we use hormones (in our export beef to US), yes? Like it!

 

[Bongodog]

Will US clorinated chicken be any cheaper than the chicken that the food processors already import to use in ready meals, pies etc ? I doubt it, and at least having been clorinated it will probably be safer than some of the imports in the past.
As to US beef, I've never been a fan, yes its generally very tender due to the very high fat content (US consumers are obsessed with marbling) but it has next to zero taste. Its just used as a something to absorb large amounts of salt and flavourings

We have a huge degree of deliberate confusion from the supermarkets who on one hand, who use statements such as "all our fresh meat is Uk sourced" but on the other then stuff their frozen sections and pre prepared meals with imported meat.
A few weeks ago I purchased 3 sirloin steaks from our local butcher (from his home reared cattle) when he announced the price I commented on the mystery of how Wetherspoons and the like can knock out a complete meal for the same cost., whilst claiming that their meat is to the same standard.
Then we have the supermarkets who claim to support UK agriculture and only use 100% fresh UK meat, so how can Aldi sell legs of UK lamb at £4.95 per kilo when the dead weight price of the whole carcase is over £4.00 ? Its either a huge loss leader or there's a con somewhere.

In conclusion the problems facing the UK livestock sector will never go away whilst a significant part of the population is fixated on cheap food, they don't give a stuff about quality they just want a big heap for next to nothing. Look at the traffic congestion caused by the reopening of Macdonalds, no one and I mean no one needs a Big Mac, but they are willing to queue for an hour for a greasy experience that will last for less than 10 minutes

 

[som farmer]

I read articles, re safety of USA chicken and beef, and how UK population will not buy it, etc. Total and utter bulls**t, if the price is right, they will buy it. Do 'we' think, that those who happily feed their kids, things like 'chicken nuggets' are actually going to be interested in where the food comes from ? I would go as far to say, USA beef/chicken, is probably better than some of the highly processed feed, in popular demand here. All guvs, faced with rising taxes, desperately need to keep food costs down, another problem, caused by c19. As UK farmers, we have little option, but to get our COP down, and that's hard, but we will have to compete, with other countries, with easier/cheaper systems.

 

[Breakthru]

I would drop the chlorinated chicken argument. The tests on OUR poultry in supermarkets show it carries high levels of pathogens and ecoli is called hamburger disease (under cooking on bbqs).
Ever considered they might be right?
Concentrate on hormone and antibiotic treated meat of all types.
Especially the antibiotic side as the pandemic is fresh in everybody's mind.
This will be the cause of the next incurable set of diseases, some of which are already here.
Getting the PR right is important. Remember Frankenstein foods! Death knell of GM OSR and Cereals here.
Have you read some of the criticism of Gene editing!
UK strength is conventional production at high quality with a premium.
The US and China are very big markets with above average wealth in some areas that will pay the premium and not bat an eyelid. Good PR needed.

 

[primmiemoo]

I would drop the chlorinated chicken argument. The tests on OUR poultry in supermarkets show it carries high levels of pathogens and ecoli is called hamburger disease (under cooking on bbqs).
Ever considered they might be right?
Concentrate on hormone and antibiotic treated meat of all types.
Especially the antibiotic side as the pandemic is fresh in everybody's mind.
This will be the cause of the next incurable set of diseases, some of which are already here.
Getting the PR right is important. Remember Frankenstein foods! Death knell of GM OSR and Cereals here.
Have you read some of the criticism of Gene editing!
UK strength is conventional production at high quality with a premium.
The US and China are very big markets with above average wealth in some areas that will pay the premium and not bat an eyelid. Good PR needed.

An increasing percentage of customers have understood that chlorinated washed chicken (or other washes used) disguises poor welfare during rearing, and poor hygiene during processing.

That chlorine washes also cause pathogens to assume forms that are not destroyed by chlorination, and cause virulent infection when they reach the consumer, is also more widely known about.

Undercooked meat is something else. That's under the consumer's direct control.

 

[teslacoils]

The questions "do you want food produced to X standard" is entirely different to "are you willing to pay more for X standard". I don't trust the UK consumer to pay up for what they say they want when they deem to spend two seconds clicking on an online petition.

 

[Clive]

maybe we stop looking for protected markets and subs and learn to produce efficiently and market properly ........... now there IS an idea !

So much industry energy (and cash) goes into trying to maintain an unsustainable , unpopular status quo - just imagine if that was put to more forward-thinking and positive use !

 

[kiwi pom]

British farmer who cannot compete against the highly subsidised monocropped corn, soya bean and wheat?

Aren't British farmers also doing this?

Corn, Soy beans and wheat.
Barley OSR and wheat.

Yep same thing

 

[lloyd]

Corn, Soy beans and wheat.
Barley OSR and wheat.

Yep same thing

Are you enforced by your government or is this rotation your choice?

 

[lloyd]

maybe we stop looking for protected markets and subs and learn to produce efficiently and market properly ........... now there IS an idea !

So much industry energy (and cash) goes into trying to maintain an unsustainable , unpopular status quo - just imagine if that was put to more forward-thinking and positive use !

Sheep meat is already marketed properly to our European neighbours.
They take whole carcasses not just selected parts.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Do you not have chlorinated tap water in the UK?

 

[lloyd]

Do you not have chlorinated tap water in the UK?

Two wrongs dont make a right
I'd go for the bottled water when you visit London Pete.

 

[Clive]

Do you not have chlorinated tap water in the UK?

you don’t see people refusing to get in swimming pools either, basting themselves in all that nasty chlorine!

 

[Widgetone]

maybe we stop looking for protected markets and subs and learn to produce efficiently and market properly ........... now there IS an idea !

So much industry energy (and cash) goes into trying to maintain an unsustainable , unpopular status quo - just imagine if that was put to more forward-thinking and positive use !

Careful what you wish for - US Corn imports would finish off most UK arable producers surely?

 

[Muck Spreader]

Apparently US beef is virtually the same price as ours so they won’t be making inroads.

Regarding chicken they would probably just compete with other countries who currently supply the UK like Poland,Thailand etc.

Finished cattle in US are currently around £1.65 kg LWT

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Two wrongs dont make a right
I'd go for the bottled water when you visit London Pete.

And I'm sure people who can afford to pay, will likewise choose to pay extra for chicken and water without disinfectant?

(That's really the driver behind all those plastic water bottles being sold, it may contain BPA's and microplastics and increase your risk of weight gain and diabetes, may not even be filtered - but at least you can't taste any chlorine....