The latest data showing levels of residues from veterinary drugs and other substances in animals and animal-derived food in 2022 in Europe has been published.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) report looks at hormones, antibacterials, environmental contaminants, prohibited substances, and other veterinary drugs. It includes data reported by EU

Continue Reading EU reveals results of vet drug residues in food and animals

Taiwan may have made a deal with U.S. trade negotiators to end the ban on ractopamine in imported livestock on Jan. 1, but local governments are not going along.

Mayors of  Taipei, New Taipei, and Taichung are looking for ways to protect consumers, such as by encouraging retailers to set
Continue Reading Selling pork with ractopamine was supposed to be easier, but just got harder in Taiwan

Humane farming advocates Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT) have released an overview of the antibiotics and other drugs used in turkey production. The organization is part of the Keep Antibiotics Working coalition, which recommends that food animal producers limit the use of medically important antibiotics to disease treatment in order
Continue Reading Report: Most Turkey Producers Allow Routine Antibiotic Use

A trio of food safety and environmental advocacy groups Thursday filed suit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, saying the agency has not sufficiently proven that ractopamine, a drug fed to pigs, cattle and turkey, is safe for animals, humans who eat them, or the environment. Ractopamine, a beta-agonist,
Continue Reading Nonprofits Sue FDA Claiming Agency Hasn’t Proven Safety of Animal Growth Drug

A new U.S. Department of Agriculture certification program for livestock producers may permit them to market their products with a special “Never Fed Beta Agonists” label. Beta agonists are feed additives used to increase muscle mass and promote weight gain in livestock animals. The drugs are typically added to feed
Continue Reading USDA Introduces Certification Program for Meat Without Growth-Enhancing Drugs

The sale of Smithfield Foods, the United States’ largest pork producer, to Shuanghui International, China’s largest meat company, raises new questions about the future of ractopamine, a controversial growth-promoting drug that is widely used in U.S. pork production and has long been the subject of trade disputes. As a report
Continue Reading Smithfield Sale Raises New Questions About the Future of Ractopamine

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
Continue Reading Senators Urge U.S. Trade Rep to Resolve Russian Ractopamine Ban