British farmers could gain a financial advantage after Brexit by increasing exports of chicken feet to China, farming minister George Eustice has explained.
Eustice said farmers had the opportunity to increase exports of the popular snack to China and other regions where parts of the bird are rejected by British shoppers.
Ministers have previously agreed a deal to export pigs' trotters to China to increase access to new markets.
The comments came during a Commons debate led by DUP MP Ian Paisley (North Antrim) about the effect of Brexit on poultry producers.
Mr Eustice told MPs: "It never ceases to amaze me that chicken feet are a delicacy in China and can attract a high value, far, far higher than they can get here in the UK.
"But there are real opportunities to create value from parts of the carcass for which there is no market in the UK or indeed in Europe.
"The other point I would make is there has always been quite a worldwide trade in poultry because we consume more white poultry meat than we produce, so we import white poultry meat traditionally but we have also had to export dark poultry meat which is in demand in other parts of the world."
