Dairy and meat farms in California were among the most recent establishments to receive federal warning letters after unacceptable levels of drug residues were found in cattle that they sold for slaughter. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration visited each establishment to inspect operations there and looked at records to
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USDA Looking at Antibiotics Claims on Meat Labels
Amid growing consumer awareness about antibiotics used to raise food animals, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is taking a look at some of the claims made on meat packages, including “antibiotic free.” 
In a letter responding to concerns raised by Consumers Union, Agriculture Secretary Tom
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FDA Takes Action Against WI Livestock Dealer for Drug Residues
In response to a permanent injunction filed by the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a Wisconsin livestock company and its owner have entered into a consent decree of permanent injunction over alleged illegal drug residues in cows meant for human consumption.
According
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Campaign to Reduce Antibiotic Use in Animal Ag Comes Under Fire
In a letter to Congress this week, a coalition of agricultural groups sharply criticized a campaign launched this month to reduce the use of antibiotics in food-producing animals. The letter, signed by 17 groups representing the interests of meat and poultry producers, veterinarians and feed suppliers, stressed the importance of
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Codex Adopts Ractopamine Limits for Beef and Pork
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 —
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USDA to Ramp Up Drug Residue Testing for Meat and Poultry
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is beefing up testing for veterinary drug residues in the meat supply – and the new policy will take effect this grilling season. 
The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service today will announce a new, more modern testing system that allows the agency to test
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ABC Finds Illegal Antibiotics in Imported Shrimp
Traces of illegal antibiotics are lurking in America’s favorite seafood, according to a new report by ABC World News. The news outlet tested 30 imported shrimp samples from grocery stores across the country and found three were positive for antibiotics that are banned in the United States.
Though the
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Reps. Markey, Slaughter Press FDA on Antibiotic Use in Ethanol Production
With growing concern over antibiotic resistance, public health advocates have long pushed for more responsible use of these drugs — both in human medicine and animal agriculture — but there is one piece of the antibiotics puzzle that has not received as much attention: ethanol production.
Last week, Reps. Ed
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USDA Tightens Rules for Drug Residues in Food Animals
Federal meat safety officials are stepping up efforts to prevent meat with illegal levels of drugs or other chemicals from entering the food supply.
The new plan – unveiled Monday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) – is two-pronged. First, the agency will release
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Researchers Find Banned Antibiotics in Feather Meal
New research raises questions about whether poultry producers might still be using an antibiotic that was banned in 2005 after being linked to increasing antibiotic resistance.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (CLF) and Arizona State University tested feather meal — a byproduct made of ground-up poultry
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