Following Brexit, the UK could find itself flooded with cheap US meat produced using inhumane practices, industry leaders have warned. The US pig industry uses practices such as gestation crates and the chemical growth hormone ractopamine, both illegal in the UK, to keep its prices low. A report by Compassion In World Farming, a UK-based animal welfare charity, found that if Britain left the EU, it would be forced to import more than half of all pork products from America.
Following Brexit, the UK could find itself flooded with cheap US meat produced using inhumane practices, industry leaders have warned. The US pig industry uses practices such as gestation crates and the chemical growth hormone ractopamine, both illegal in the UK, to keep its prices low. Pig farmers warned that an influx of meat from US farms would cause wholesale prices to drop, 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.