There has been a lot of stuff in the papers recently about chlorinated chicken. I think this has been sparked by Liam Fox's visit to the USA to open talks on a trade deal. The Americans routinely wash chicken in chlorinated water to counter various pathogens which are a product of their poor welfare standards. The EU has banned chicken washed in chlorine, which they admit is safe but they say, encourages lax standards. It's mainly an animal welfare issue.
However, it highlights the problem ahead, not just with chicken, but a whole range of other matters that on the surface seem unconnected but have the potential to create all sorts of complex difficulties. An EU official (HERE) says that if we import chlorine washed chickens from the USA this will mean a hard border in Ireland where goods will have to be checked physically to ensure they comply with EU standards.
Liam Fox is keen to get a trade deal with the USA but agricultural products including cereals, beef and yes, chicken is where they have a comparative advantage which their negotiators will want to exploit. Why strike a trade deal and exclude the goods that give your exporters an edge?
Before negotiations with the EU got underway there was some puzzled discussion in the pro Brexit media about why the EU thought the Irish border issue could be decided before our future trade relationship was agreed. Now it is clear. It is not the trade issue which will determine the border as we thought, but the border that will set the terms of the trade deal. The EU must have recognized the human and security dimension as being paramount while Brexiteers only saw trade and regulations.
If we want a "frictionless" border in Ireland we will have to comply more closely with EU standards.
