U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) on January 31 sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer regarding the opportunity to export U.S. poultry to the United Kingdom (UK) upon its exit from the European Union (EU).
As a member of the EU, the UK was unable to import chicken from U.S. producers. However, the UK exited the EU on January 31, 2020, and will pursue its own bilateral trade deal with the U.S.
“As bipartisan senators of states with significant poultry interests, we urge you to strongly advocate for United States poultry access to the UK when negotiating a new trade deal,” the letter read. “Capitalizing on this opportunity to open a new and substantial market for United States poultry exports would greatly benefit domestic businesses while maintaining food safety standards supported by sound science.”
Senators John Boozman (R-AR), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), David Perdue (R-GA), Tim Scott (R-SC), Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Mark Warner (D-VA) also signed the letter.
The full text of the letter can be found here.
