Now we’ve left the EU, the government is trying to do a trade deal with the US. @Dispatches can exclusively reveal dangerous levels of contamination in American meat that could soon be stocked in UK supermarkets. 1/

Between 12 & 14% of the pork & poultry samples tested have Salmonella, that’s about 6 times higher than levels in UK pork. According to preliminary results from Professor Lance Price who is in the middle of a 5year study looking at bacterial contamination in US retail meat. 2/

More than 60% of the pork products tested had E. coli on them, as did around 70% of beef products, 80% of chicken products, and more than 90% of turkey products. E. coli indicates faecal contamination. 3/

We can also reveal preliminary results from Professor Price’s study that shows that 45% of the bacteria they found on American retail meat is resistant to at least one antibiotic. 4/

In the US the rate of antibiotics given to livestock is 5 times higher per kilo than in the UK. Scientists are concerned that this will cause a rise in antibiotic resistant bacteria, which could prevent our life-saving medicines from working. 5/

US meat producers use 6 antibiotics that are classed by the World Health Organisation as “critically important” to human medicine. 6/

US Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue declined to be interviewed but has previously said that the US is doing a much better job in ensuring that antibiotics are not overused & that most poultry is now antibiotic free & many other animals are only given them when they are sick 7/

The UK Government have insisted that if the UK were to do a trade deal with the US, that they’re not going to lower UK food standards. 8/

WATCH: Dirty Secrets of American Food: Coming to a Supermarket Near You? Monday at 8pm on @Channel4