Thirty-three U.S. senators from livestock states, including Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Thad Cochran (R-MS), chairwoman and ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, on Tuesday sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk urging him to “quickly address” Russia’s recent ban on all U.S. beef, pork and turkey over residues of ractopamine, an animal… Continue Reading
Russia will ban U.S. turkey products over concerns about the controversial animal drug ractopamine, the country’s Veterinary and Phyto-Sanitary Surveillance Service (VPSS) announced this week. The news comes a few days after Russia announced it will block U.S. beef and pork as of Feb. 11 due to a lack of compliance to its zero-tolerance policy… Continue Reading
Russia will ban U.S. pork and beef imports starting this month over concerns about ractopamine, a veterinary drug commonly used in North America to boost growth and leanness that is increasingly controversial overseas, according to Russian media reports. “Since the violations continue and we are finding ractopamine in meat shipments from the USA, we plan… Continue Reading
Animal rights and food safety groups are petitioning the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to immediately lower the allowed residue limits for ractopamine — a controversial drug used to boost growth and leanness in meat production — and to study the drug’s effects on human health and animal welfare. The petition comes just days after… Continue Reading
The long-running international dispute over ractopamine, a drug used to boost growth and leanness in pork and beef production, has become even more contentious in recent weeks. Russia, which is an increasingly important export market for U.S. meat products, announced it will no longer accept meat from animals raised on the drug, and it will… Continue Reading
In a new study of raw pork chops and ground pork, Consumer Reports found 69 percent of samples were contaminated with Yersinia enterocolitica, according to a report published by the group today. A lesser-known foodborne pathogen, Yersinia enterocolitica can cause fever, abdominal pain and diarrhea, lasting one to three weeks, according to the Centers for… Continue Reading
After years of scientific and political stalemate, the Codex Alimentarius Commission, a UN food standards-setting body, narrowly voted to advance a residue limit for ractopamine hydrochloride, a controversial veterinary drug used in food animal production. The 69-67 vote to adopt a Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) for the beta agonist — which is approved for boosting… Continue Reading
Just days after the reelection of Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou, Washington is stepping up pressure on the administration to back down on its ban on ractopamine, a leanness- and growth-promoting drug used widely in pork and beef production in the United States. Taiwan’s zero tolerance policy for the drug, which applies to both domestic production… Continue Reading
A controversial animal drug, fed to a majority of pigs raised in the United States, has become the focus of a long-running trade dispute centered on meat exports. Ractopamine hydrochloride – used to keep swine lean and boost their growth in the last weeks before slaughter – is administered to an estimated 60 to 80… Continue Reading
Taiwan’s Department of Health (DOH) announced last week it has once again detected residues of lean-promoting drug ractopamine in beef products imported from the U.S., according to Focus Taiwan News Channel. Public health authorities at the DOH keep statistics on ractopamine residues and so far they have found 1.9 percent of U.S. beef to contain… Continue Reading
Feed Additive Remains Sticking Point in Beef Dispute; Key Ag Senators Press Taiwan, Declaring U.S. Beef Safe The two top Senators on the Agriculture Committee, Ranking Member Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), recently sent a letter to Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou in an effort to resolve an ongoing trade dispute: Taiwan continues… Continue Reading