Britain must accept US food standards such as allowing chlorinated chicken and genetically modified crops as part of any post-Brexit trade deal, the head of America’s powerful farming lobby has said.
The comments from Zippy Duval, presiddent of the American Farm Bureau, to the BBC came as British farmers demanded a referendum on any Brexit deal, warning they face “decimation” if the UK crashes out of the EU without an agreement.
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Asda chief executive and president Roger Burnley is really not happy about Brexit.
He says: "If ever a case study on the impact the mood of the nation has on UK spending habits were needed, this quarter has provided it.
"Consumer confidence levels are at an almost six-year low - due in no small part to the ongoing uncertainty around Brexit and amplified by the impact of weather and tracking against national sporting events in the same period last year.
"As a result our non-food business has been challenged during the period, however we're satisfied that our food business has continued to perform well and our online growth continues to outpace the market."
Despite all this, Asda's total sales were up 1.3 per cent In the three months to 30 June.
More than half of farms will go bust if Boris Johnson forces through a no-deal Brexit, farmers are warning, as some join the campaign for a fresh referendum.
A deadly cocktail of immediate tariffs, border checks, increased red tape and cheaper food imports from outside the EU will result in the “decimation of UK farming”, a detailed study finds.
Read the full story here from our deputy political editor Rob Merrick:
Brexit: Farmers call for fresh referendum as they warn half of farms will go bust after no-deal exit
"So there is no scientific basis that says that washing poultry with a chlorine wash just to be safe of whatever pathogens might be on that chicken as it was prepared for the market, should be taken away.
"If there was something wrong with it our federal inspection systems would not be allowing us to use that," he added.
Is chlorinated chicken bad for our health and the environment?
* The EU, plus third countries with which it has trade agreements, would immediately slap tariffs on food exports from the UK.
* Tariff-free imports of many agricultural products would have to be offered to non-EU countries as well, including the USA, Brazil and Australia – undermining domestic farming
* It would also be hit by new non-tariff barriers, including administrative costs and border checks to ensure compliance with EU food safety and animal health regulations.
* The removal of support payments – with only a proportion likely to be covered by Whitehall – and an adverse trading environment will “render the majority of farm businesses unviable”.
Sweden-based Tobii bought UK rival Smartbox for £11m last year, but the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has now ordered Tobii to sell off the business.
The announcement comes after an investigation by independent CMA panel members concluded that the tie-up could result in a reduction in "quality, less new product development, and higher prices".
The think tank has therefore advocated negotiating a trade deal that would allow for imports of chlorine-treated meat. The ASI report does not provide evidence demonstrating a causal link between chlorine washing and cheaper poultry prices in supermarkets. Other factors could also be at play.
"If Fed rate cuts successfully steepen the curve comfortably into positive territory, this brief curve inversion may be a premature recession signal.
Senior frontbencher Rebecca Long-Bailey made the remarks as Jeremy Corbyn delivered a dramatic offer to be caretaker prime minister and secure a Brexit extension if he is successful in toppling Mr Johnson.
More from Ashley Cowburn:
Labour to attempt to bring down Boris Johnson's government within 'days' of parliament resuming
Both of those practices are controversial in the UK. Washing chicken carcasses in chlorinated water to kill off harmful bacteria is banned in the EU.
Beijing will take unspecified "necessary countermeasures," the Cabinet said in a one-sentence statement. It gave no details or any indication plans for trade talks in Washington in September might be affected.
