Sir, – Kevin Nolan (July 27th), can be assured there is no health risk to Irish consumers from the possible leakage of US food onto the Irish market should the UK permit imports of US poultry, beef or GMO food products.
The EU Food Safety Authority approves chlorinated chicken as safe; GMO foods have, after over 30 years of trying, not killed anyone yet not even made them ill; and hormone beef, properly administered, is perfectly safe to eat.
The biggest threat is to the Irish agri-food industry which would face another very competitive supplier to the important British market and would face additional competition from British suppliers able to source cheaper raw materials, for example, GMO animal feedstuffs.
It should also be noted that the UK could import US food without negotiating a free trade agreement by adopting a “cheap food” policy and abolishing tariffs on all food imports from any country.
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This might be an attractive inflation control policy.
Food imports would then only be restricted by the UK’s regulatory system and if it is based on the US scientific principle or the EU’s precautionary system. – Yours, etc,
OWEN BROOKS,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.