Articles

The European Union (EU) published proposals for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) chapter on food safety and animal welfare in January 2015. The draft, which is under first discussion by negotiators in the first week of February 2015, provides a clear indication of EU trade officials’ intentions for the final agreement. Our analysis suggests that the proposed text will undermine existing health and safety regulations in both the EU and the United States (US).

Analysis of the draft published by the EU raises a number of concerns about the impact on food safety and animal welfare. These include: the priority given to maximizing trade, the shift of power from national governments to a new trade committee, the threat to the ability of local authorities to set higher standards, the risk of minimal health and safety checks for novel foods (including GMOs, cloned animals, and nano materials), non-binding provisions for animal welfare, and the required adoption of international food standards established through the World Trade Organisation (WTO).