Following Brexit , the UK could find itself flooded with cheap foreign meat producers using inhumane practices , industry leaders have warned . But Lang said he had little faith the UK would be able to resist the pressure to sign a deal. The US pig industry uses practices such as gestation crates and the chemical stress hormone ractopamine , both illegal in the UK , to keep its prices low . Pig farmers feared that an influx of meat from US farms would cause wholesale prices to rise , undercutting UK producers , while animal welfare campaigners said it could lead to calls for welfare standards to be lowered in the UK to allow the industry to remain competitive .
Following Brexit , the UK could find itself flooded with cheap foreign meat producers using inhumane practices , industry leaders have warned . The US pig industry uses practices such as gestation crates and the chemical stress hormone ractopamine , both illegal in the UK , to keep its prices low . Pig farmers feared that an influx of meat from US farms would cause wholesale prices to rise , undercutting UK producers , while animal welfare campaigners said it could lead to calls for welfare standards to be lowered in the UK to allow the industry to remain competitive .