Guangzhou culls contaminated hogs

After a random test revealed that 17 pigs out of a shipment of 149 were fed with clenbuterol, Guangzhou's food safety authorities Wednesday (Mar 25) decided to cull the whole herd.

On Tuesday (Mar 24) morning, Guangzhou Tianhe Livestock Market stopped farmers from bringing in the 149 hogs from Mengjin County, Henan province as they were suspected to have been fed with the harmful additive.

The market has expanded its sample testing size to 20 percent from its initial 2-3 percent since mid-February when about 70 people fell ill after consuming tainted pork, according to a manager of the market.

Clenbuterol, a banned feed additive that some farmers used to prevent pigs from gaining fat, is harmful to human health and can be fatal.

In total, 15 people had been arrested in Guangzhou for selling pigs that were fed with clenbuterol.