Apart from we have no vets to monitor abattoirs!

The EU took action against this but didn’t ban it instead the meat had to be labelled with the water content usually around 15% now. If you check the packaging on Halal meat you will see it doesn’t have a water content

Thanks for the info.

Sorry, I’m confused here. Halal meat sold in the EU surely has to abide by EU rulings? Does it not have a water content because there’s no added water, is that what you’re saying?

The horse meat scandal was a criminal act but it was all done and moved all around Europe under EU legislation

How would it not be? Should every transaction be subject to DNA testing?

It wasn’t moved around “under EU legislation,” rather it was moved around *despite* EU legislation. It was an illegal act so laws are an irrelevance, rather what’s failed here is checking and enforcement.

So think on, how’s that going to change if we leave the EU? Is it going to get better or worse?

I wouldn’t imagine it to change from imported sources but we can concentrate on our own produce and what we need to import can be done with more direct control that it can now with 27 other states all with their own interests which may benefit them more than us.[/quote]

I don’t think you’ve understood / read the question. I was responding to this:

It’s difficult to legislate against companies and people who are not part of the EU but expect them to behave as if they were.

To wit: If it’s difficult to legislate against non-EU entities, is that situation going to get better or worse if we leave the EU?

Halal meat isn’t injected or tumbled to increase its water content as the water often contains pork proteins so that it retained in the meat, hence no label as no added water.

How would it not be? Should every transaction be subject to DNA testing?

Didn’t the EU legislations already state that products must contain origin labels after mad cow disease.

TJ, very true we are heavily reliant on EU Vets. Don’t confuse these with your Vets at your clinic or attending farms as most aren’t qualified for this and most it’s part of their training to become a qualified Vet working under anothers licence. I have no issue with EU workers just the false impression that EU legislation means that our food is safe when it is often stretched to it’s limits within the EU and paid lip service to outside.

The concern about the US process seems rather tenuous to me, the use of chlorine washing may increase the risk of poor practice and if the product is allowed into the UK that may in turn lead to lower standards here in a subset of producers. As argued above there are plenty of examples where bad practice already exists and little or nothing is done.

@molgrips my personal example is a bit different, local regulation put my business as at disadvantage to global competitors with respect to global clients. Even if I was offering a service to a global client I had to follow EU rules my competitors did not and had an advantage which had a binary impact, the money went elsewhere.

The concern about the US process seems rather tenuous to me

Obviously you see nothing bad in it, as a consequence of Brexit. What a surprise!!

Wellmits good you managed to start a topic and retain exactly the same view as when you started. Was it worth it?

British farmers have been known for their high standards of animal husbandry for decades.

This bit made me laugh – rightly or wrongly British farming is still associated with the mad cow scandal, hardly a great reputation to have.

rightly or wrongly British farming is still associated with the mad cow scandal, hardly a great reputation to have.

Having been involved off and on with the higher end of British agriculture its currently very good and has been for a long time, the repercussions of bse have lead to one of the best traceability systems going, real accountability and knowledge of exactly what has been given to all cattle, you could map its journey from birth to plate.

@mogrim have you heard of magnesium staggers ? The French diagnosed their cows with that not “mad cow”.

Obviously you see nothing bad in it, as a consequence of Brexit. What a surprise!!

I said the link was tenuous not non-existant and by leaving the EU we can correct many of the animal husbandry and health issues that come with membership. As mentioned above the horsemeat scandal was facilitated by the EU. The UK Government will be free to import chlorine washed chicken if it chooses. If a subsequent government doesn’t like that they can change it. Gove has indicated we would not accept it.

The UK Government will be free to import chlorine washed chicken if it chooses. If a subsequent government doesn’t like that they can change it. Gove has indicated we would not accept it.

The UK will be bullied into it if they want a fast trade deal with the US, When the option is deal or bust what would they go for?
Given the scant regard for farmers in Brexit terms most people wouldn’t trust this government (who can’t agree with each other)
Want some hormone beef to go with it?

Having been involved off and on with the higher end of British agriculture its currently very good and has been for a long time, the repercussions of bse have lead to one of the best traceability systems going, real accountability and knowledge of exactly what has been given to all cattle, you could map its journey from birth to plate.

Definitely – I’m not saying it’s fair, I’m just saying that British farming’s reputation isn’t necessarily a good one.

@mogrim have you heard of magnesium staggers ? The French diagnosed their cows with that not “mad cow”.

And Spanish cows had it too. Which has also led to tightening up regulations here. All of which is a good thing, and I’d hate to see them being relaxed by allowing imports from countries like the US with weaker standards.

For me this tweet summed it up nicely

Chlorine chicken tweet.

😆

by leaving the EU we can correct many of the animal husbandry and health issues that come with membership

Of course. We could. We could also have more stringent environmental regulation. But we won’t. We already have to be dragged kicking and screaming to implement the regulations that exist – there is zero chance that Brexit will lead to an improvement.

The UK Government will be free to import chlorine washed chicken if it chooses. If a subsequent government doesn’t like that they can change it.

Obviously that won’t happen if it’s part of a comprehensive mini-TTIP.

In its simplest terms, if an increased market for Dettol-nuggets is created, then more chickens will live in inhumane conditions.

Of course. We could. We could also have more stringent environmental regulation.

But didn’t we already have more stringent regulations for animal welfare anyway? Surely that means we had the ability to do more than the EU minimum anyway?

The concern about the US process seems rather tenuous to me, the use of chlorine washing may increase the risk of poor practice

No, chlorine washing is needed BECAUSE of widespread poor practice. It’s a cheap fix to a problem.

by leaving the EU we can correct many of the animal husbandry and health issues that come with membership

Which issues are those? Can you name one?

But didn’t we already have more stringent regulations for animal welfare anyway? Surely that means we had the ability to do more than the EU minimum anyway?

In some case yes – such as veal and pork. But a number of people making that argument are ignoring the areas in which we didn’t, for example caged hens and fish quotas.