From The BBC
Why ban chlorine-washed chicken?
Washing chicken in chlorine and other disinfectants to remove harmful bacteria was a practice banned by the European Union (EU) in 1997 over food safety concerns. The ban has stopped virtually all imports of US chicken meat which is generally treated by this process.
Although the article goes on to give figures for greater health risks for US chicken, as the EU ban only came in in 1997, it is worth asking whether this was to improve food standards, or to reduce competition.