International Trade secretary Liam Fox is reported to be entertaining proposals for importing meat produced using currently banned practices into the UK in a UK-US trade deal, despite assurances that the Conservatives’ minority government won’t undercut domestic standards in upcoming trade deals.

The Trade Secretary is travelling to Washington DC for preliminary talks on a post-Brexit trade deal between the UK and United States. In the US, big ag interests are adamant that any deal must open up the UK market to unpopular imports, including hormone-treated beef, chlorine washed chicken and GM crops. However, domestic farm unions have urged the government to uphold standards, arguing that these make the British brand more appealing.

The use of growth promoting hormone treatments, chemical washing and certain pesticides are illegal in the EU, and have been an area of focus for campaign groups opposing the TTIP negotiations between the EU and US in recent years.

In an appearance on BBC’s Question Time just last month Dr Fox said that Brexit deals wouldn’t necessarily lead to the import of chemically treated meats. Defra secretary Michael Gove gave his word that environmental and food safety standards wouldn’t be weakened in trade deals in an interview with Andrew Marr in June.

As the Trade secretary left for the US capital on Monday, rumours emerged of a split in Theresa May’s cabinet between two factions of prominent Brexiteers, with Boris Johnson and Liam Fox both said to be keen to lift import bans on chemically treated foods, and the newly appointed Environment secretary and his predecessor at Defra Andrea Leadsom (who is now leader of the Commons), both opposed to downgrading food standards.  

The UK government’s Department for International Trade has said discussion of specific trade issues are still a long way off, as the UK can’t conclude formal free trade agreements with third countries until the government has negotiated an exit from the EU. The department did reveal that preliminary discussions in the US are expected to focus on “providing certainty, continuity and increasing confidence for UK and US businesses as the UK leaves the EU and explore ways to strengthen our trade and commercial ties.”

After meeting with Ambassador Robert Lighthizer in Wahsington, Dr Fox will travel to Mexico to discuss future trading relationships with the country.