Banbury woman takes on MP in an open letter on food safety dangers of US trade deal after Brexit

Carol Broom, a retired social worker, referred Victoria Prentis to Channel 4's recent Dispatches programme, 'Dirty Secrets of American Food: Coming to a Supermarket Near You?'.

In an open letter to the MP, Mrs Broom said: "I am bitterly disappointed the amendment to the Agriculture Bill was rejected, despite protests from farmers and a back bench rebellion.

"There is a need to enshrine food safety - and indeed our NHS - in UK law. I remain convinced that Boris (Johnson) is driving us deliberately towards a no-deal and if this disaster comes to pass, he will have even more reason to aim for a trade deal with the US at all costs. I don't accept the reassurances that you, Liz Truss or anyone else offers that there is no need for such legal protection."

Mrs Broom described the Prime Minister in her letter as 'entirely self serving' and accused him of destroying Britain's reputation for reliability. She believes Britain is now seen as a 'puny' island without influence and a potential law-breaker.

She drew Mrs Prentis' attention to the contents of the Dispatches film which included charges that:

- the US wants all its food products to be eligible for importation to the UK including 'dangerously contaminated', chemically-washed beef and drug-treated pork, decimating British agriculture that would be unable to compete on price

- US intensive farming methods of producing 'safe protein' are unnatural and unacceptable. Beef producers may inject cattle with six different growth hormones banned in Europe. The EU concluded there was clear evidence one hormone, beta estrodial, was a cancer risk

- intensive pork production is cruel to pigs, millions of which are kept lifelong in crates so they cannot turn around

- the use of a highly controversial drug called ractopamine, which mimics adrenaline and is fed to pigs to boost muscle growth but is banned in the UK and EU because of concerns about it ending up in our food. Studies show there is insufficient evidence to set a safe level for humans

- high levels of faecal contamination in US meat so carcasses are then treated with chemicals to kill any bacteria. US figures for food poisoning rates are four times higher than the UK's

- inspection in abbatoirs is as little as 2.6 second per carcass increasing contamination risk

- over use of antibiotics producing resistance and may prevent medicines working in future. US farms use 11 million kilos of antibiotics including six that are 'critically important for human medicine'

- ten times more pesticides use than the UK use and 50 per cent more highly toxic pesticides. Some are carcinogenic and cannot be washed off

- vast amounts of money spent on lobbying for weaker regulation.

- US milk has more pus in; bread and biscuits and fizzy pop have dangerous ingredients, it was claimed.

"The truth about a trade deal is that US food is cheaper and would undercut British farmers. Cheaper meat would pose a big cost to British farming as the US doesn’t have the same rules on environmental and welfare protection," said Mrs Broom.

Farmer's daughter Mrs Prentis voted with the Conservatives against an amendment to the Agriculture Bill that would have obliged the government to insist any food imports met current standards. She has always insisted there would be no watering down of standards in future.

A Government spokesperson told the Banbury Guardian: “This government has been clear it will not sign a trade deal that will compromise on our high environmental protection, animal welfare and food standards, and claims to the contrary are unhelpful scaremongering. We are a world leader in these areas and that will not change.

“Chlorinated chicken and hormone injected beef are not permitted for import into the UK. This will be retained through the EU Withdrawal Act and enshrined in UK law at the end of the transition period.

“The government is focused on getting trade deals that protect and advance the interests of our farmers and consumers. If a deal isn’t the right one, we will walk away.”