While tucking into my rather nice salmon from Norway this evening, I had a chat to Mme about chicken. Go into any major UK food store and you will find frozen chickens. Go into any major food store here and you will not find any. Fresh birds a plenty, but frozen ones, none. Most of the labels here will tell you where the birds lived, if they were totally free range, and what they were fed on. Which magazine published a chart 10 years ago showing just how much of the UK bird was meat and how much was injected water to increase the weight. Does it make a difference? Well as someone who has lived in both countries I can tell you it does when it comes down to flavour. Chicken here tastes like chicken did when my parents kept them, and from time to time we had one that was no longer laying. Not surprising when a frozen bird can actually be 25% water.
Joe Bidon was Vice President of the USA while Obama was in charge, and he said that when the chicken farmers of Delaware found out that the trade deal between the USA and the EU was collapsing they were demanding that new outlets were found. "You don't mess with Delaware farmers" said Joe Bidon, but there is a problem in finding new markets. The unhygienic ways that these birds are raised creates that problem. After slaughter they are sprayed with disinfectant to kill off the problems that have risen because of the method of rearing.
Branches of large chains such as McDonalds and KFC that operate here refuse to buy from the USA because of the bad production methods. Seeing as the UK will be desperate to strike a deal with anyone after Brexit expect USA birds to come in, and as they will be cheap to start with, the poorest will have to buy them. The decent farmers within the UK who produce chicken, will be forced to find a market for those who can afford food not contaminated by disinfectant, while the rest will have to make do with what they can afford. Instead of dumping cheap steel from China, expect dumping of cheap chickens from Delaware.