A potentially significant if unsurprising development on trade policy - Liam Fox has as expected said he will accept a US approach to food regulation / chlorinated chicken in trade agreements. Full article paywalled, but key text in next tweet... ….agribusinessintelligence.informa.com/PL218026/UK-wi…
He was speaking at the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board conference in London, and this is the key text. Trade agreements don't specifically name particular products as safe or not, but this is what US trade agreements say... 
This isn't yet a UK government position. Recall that Michael Gove said something rather different about US food recently - "over my dead body" on chlorinated chicken. But clearly it is DIT's position, otherwise a trade agreement with the US is not possible sustainweb.org/news/may18_us_…
Two more complications. WTO rules which mean national measures must be only to the extent necessary to protect health. And reports on the science of US food treatment measures. thegrocer.co.uk/buying-and-sup…
Finally, at least hopefully we won't see any more tweets like this from Fox. Now he can stop avoiding the issue and admit that a US trade deal will mean US food regulations. Which won't make EU future relationship talks any easier...
PS thinking the timing of this content - on the day of European Council with press attention distracted - is probably not coincidental. A good day to bury bad news?
