A damning report from a influential committee of British MPs has accused the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of conducting an aggressive lobbying campaign that is actively sabotaging the prospects of a post-Brexit free trade deal between the UK and the US.
The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC), a cross-party group of MPs, has raised serious concerns that the powerful American agency is attempting to strong-arm the UK into lowering its stringent environmental and food safety standards. This includes pressing for the importation of agricultural products currently banned in Britain, such as chlorine-washed chicken and hormone-treated beef.
A Threat to British Standards
The report meticulously details how the EPA has been engaging directly with UK ministers and officials, pushing a deregulatory agenda that directly conflicts with longstanding British consumer and environmental protections. MPs have labelled this behaviour as deeply inappropriate for a regulatory body, accusing it of acting more like a lobbyist for big American agribusiness than an impartial government agency.
This intervention is seen as a significant and unwelcome obstacle to the trade negotiations, which were once hailed as a primary benefit of leaving the European Union.
Cross-Party Condemnation from Westminster
The Committee's findings have garnered cross-party support, highlighting the severity of the issue. The report urges the UK government to stand firm and resist any pressure to dilute its world-class environmental and food standards for the sake of a quick deal.
MPs have warned that conceding to these demands would not only be a betrayal of British farmers and consumers but would also set a dangerous precedent, undermining the UK's sovereignty and its ability to set its own rules post-Brexit.
The findings signal a major potential stumbling block for one of the most strategically important trade negotiations for the UK, casting doubt on the likelihood and the shape of any future agreement with the United States.
