In my recent post about the U.S.-UK trade deal, I noted the discussion of hormone-treated beef at the White House press conference, including a response by U.S. Trade Rep. Jamieson Greer to a reporter's question. I did not take his answer, or the General Terms of the U.S.-UK deal, to indicate a change in the U.S. position on this issue, which has traditionally been that bans on hormone-treated beef are not science-based, violate international trade rules as a result, and should be removed.
Then last Thursday, I came across this Washington Post headline: "In U.K.-U.S. trade deal, hormone-fed beef is off the menu." The article elaborates as follows:
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who said during the Oval Office announcement of the deal last week that she wanted Britain to take “all meats,” seemed to soften that stance following talks in London this week. During a news conference Tuesday, Rollins suggested that American exporters might make concessions and wean themselves from ranching and processing practices that are standard in the United States but rejected by British and European regulators.
...
Rollins, in response to a question, acknowledged that more American farmers are dropping the methods. “Our agricultural producers, our cattle producers obviously are constantly watching what the markets look like,” she said. “If the markets are calling for a specific type or they see more opportunities somewhere, then I think we, potentially, do see some movement in the market.”
The American practice of treating processed poultry with a chlorine wash has declined in recent years, she said, adding that only about 5 percent of the birds now get a bleach bath.
“We have moved over the last decade completely away from the, quote, chlorine chicken,” she said.
A Trump administration retreat on the safety standards discussion would mark a big shift on an issue that has been raising hackles on the U.S. side of the negotiating table for round after round of talks.
It is certainly true that "[a] Trump administration retreat on the safety standards discussion would mark a big shift." But is that what was being signaled here by Rollins? When I read the Post's account, I had some doubts about their interpretation of the remarks by Rollins, so I looked for the video of the news conference and put together a transcript.
Here was the first question and the response by Rollins:
Q: British farmers are concerned [that] the agreement is really one way for the US to push a relaxation of rules on agricultural produce, especially on hormone grown beef. Can you guarantee your trade partners in the UK, its farmers, that you're not going to be doing that?
Rollins: Well, I think the first and possibly the biggest takeaway from last week, from my perspective, was that this was not a one way street. I mean, clearly I am here and am the biggest fan and cheerleader of American agriculture, but at the end of the day, this is about opening up markets. This is about taking down barriers and walls that have been built. This is about expanding choice between our two countries. And it's interesting, I just in the last meeting, talked about, you know, aligning with our partners. And there is no greater partner than the UK. I mean, from the very beginning, I guess once we got past the revolution, but since then, the partnership between our two nations has been really what has driven freedom and opportunity and prosperity in the entire world. So it makes so much sense that last Thursday, this was the first trade deal announced, and again, while President Trump and your Prime Minister are working to elevate and to ensure that your own people and our own people are protected and reaching new levels of prosperity, at the end of the day, when it is those partnerships with our allies like the UK that are just so very important. So while in fact, we are excited about getting American beef, ethanol, et cetera, hopefully down the line, rice, seafood, other products are coming into your country, this is also about getting more of your country's products into ours as well. And when we have that increased food security, that's increased national security for both of our nations.
Her answer here seems to be a careful attempt to avoid the question. But the questions on this issue kept coming.
The second question was a little hard to decipher but I think got most of it:
Q: Just on the hormone beef thing, I've been hearing that some producers are already shifting from hormone free beef in the US in anticipation of market access in the UK. ... Is that a signal that things are starting to reshape US agriculture from the ground up?
Rollins: Yes. Well, thank you for that. The first thing I think that's very important to say is that we have decades of research that show that the beef produced in America, whether it is hormone or hormone free, is entirely safe, and we believe one of the crown jewels of our American agriculture industry. I am from Texas, this is my background, so I know this industry and area very, very well. And I could not be more proud of our beef cattle industry in America. Having said that, our agriculture producers, our cattle producers, etc, obviously, are constantly watching what the markets look like. And if the markets are calling for a specific type, or they have more opportunity somewhere, then I think that we potentially do see some movement in the market. It's very early to say exactly.
This answer involved a mild effort to defend hormone-treated beef, along with an acknowledgement that U.S. producers will take into account the types of products a particular market wants.
And then later during the press conference, there was this final question on the issue:
Q: Steve Reed, our Environment Secretary, has absolutely ruled out, saying, we're never going to have chlorine chicken in the UK or hormone beef. I believe you said that you want to talk about all meats. So do you think any tariff reduction will be contingent on accepting chlorine chicken or hormone beef?
Rollins: Well, let's first talk about chlorine chicken. I think that is a narrative in your country that perhaps we have not done a good enough job pushing back on. Only about 5% of our chicken in America is actually treated that way, with the chlorine. So we have moved, over the last decade, completely away from the, quote, chlorine chicken. So that's, I think that's a really important myth to dispel, and I'm grateful to do that. I think the conversations are continuing, and I think that building the relationships, just for me yesterday, being with Mr. Reed, and Mr. Reynolds today, being with several of your other leaders and building those relationships and having those conversations and ensuring that both of our countries, we're putting our countries first, but in doing so in partnership. I know that there are probably different views on this. But the more we can talk, the more that, frankly, I also can talk to y'all, the people that you're reporting to, ensuring that the right news and message is moved out based on data and scientific study is really, really important, and just looking forward to a really strong partnership moving forward.
Here, Rollins emphasized the high level of non-chlorine chicken in U.S. production, although she later referred to "data and scientific study," which I think is a way to say that U.S. chlorine-washed products are safe, and people in other countries should be allowed to buy them. In addition, it's worth noting the higher figure for hormone-treated beef, which I generally see as around 80%.
Based on all this, is the Post's characterization correct? Is the Trump administration going to pull back on traditional U.S. demands about selling hormone-treated beef and chlorine-washed chicken in foreign markets? I am a bit skeptical. Taking into account the full context above, I don't think Rollins was necessarily suggesting a pullback. I think maybe she was aware that her audience was a group of UK media folks, and therefore she was trying to phrase things carefully and avoid inflaming tensions. A headline like "U.S. demands hormone-treated beef be sold in UK" would obviously hurt these negotiations, and she didn't want to say anything that had a negative impact. But I didn't take her remarks to suggest that U.S. demands are going to change.
Having said that, I suspect the U.S. negotiators understand the limits of what is possible here, and probably do not have high expectations that foreign governments will make the changes that U.S. industry is pushing for, either immediately or through subsequent enforcement of the trade deal's SPS rules. The U.S. government balancing exercise between what the domestic industry wants and what foreign governments are willing and able to give is a delicate one. What would be interesting to hear (but we in the general public probably never will) is how exactly the U.S. presents its demands on these issues in the behind the scenes negotiations, and whether there is any change in emphasis relative to how things were done in the past.
