Thanks for the info. It just goes to show that there are NO circumstances under which we should start trading with any country which has lower standards than ourselves.
Having written that I decided to check my "facts". I'd been led to believe that in the U.S. there are certain amounts of rat hairs, maggots etc that are allowed in food stuff. The wording is interesting because it doesn't say it's allowed, but it's acceptable so that legal action can't take place unless the prescribed limits are exceeded. 
The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Food Security Index scored the USA 99.4 out of 100 for food safety, just shy of the UK’s perfect score. I think I'll be happy sticking with our 100% safety record, whether it's the same as the E.U. or not.