US could sanction Scottish salmon over sea lice as trade talks heat up

By Martin Hannan Multimedia Journalist


The USA are said to be threatening a ban because of the prevalence of sea lice in Scottish salmon

AS Westminster continues its deliberations on whether food standards should be lowered to allow new trade deals after the UK’s exit from the EU, it has been reported that the USA could ban imports of Scottish salmon.

The Mail on Sunday reported: “Representatives of the US have warned that if London does try to stop the import of chickens or hormone-injected beef, then Donald Trump’s administration could take similar action to target the lucrative farmed salmon industry, which is especially important to the Scottish economy.”


It is worth more than £800 million annually to Scotland and more than 11,000 jobs are dependent on the industry which sees £200m of exports to the USA each year.

The USA are said to be threatening a ban because of the prevalence of sea lice in Scottish salmon.

A recent report has found that 90% of turkey products, 80% of chicken, 70% of beef and 60% of pork sold in US supermarkets show unacceptable levels of E.coli, which indicates contact with faeces.

Some 13% of American pork has salmonella – six times higher than the UK – according to research led by Dr Lance Price of George Washington University.

Dr Price, whose findings are revealed in a Channel 4 Dispatches investigation tonight, also found that almost half the samples proved resistant to at least one of America’s six most common antibiotics.

He said: “It’s a real risk in human health because if somebody has a serious infection with one of these pathogens, and it’s resistant to the antibiotics that the doctor would use to treat them, then they could die.

“We have unequivocal, clear evidence that antibiotic use in animals leads to antibiotic-resistant infections in people.

“When you raise animals in a crowded, unsanitary condition, or give them feed they’re not evolved to eat, they get diseases.”

READ MORE: ‘Lice-free’ salmon farm to be Scottish first

He added: “Instead of changing the way we’re producing the animals, we give them antibiotics.”

A source at the Department for International Trade told the Mail on Sunday: “Given that chlorinated chicken is already banned in the UK, for the United States to impose new tariffs on our produce would be illegal and something that we would fight hard against.”

A spokesperson for International Trade Secretary Liz Truss said: “This Government has been absolutely clear that it will not sign a trade deal that will compromise our high environmental protection, animal welfare and food safety standards.

“We are a world leader in these areas and that will not change.”

The Scottish Government has been asked for comment.