November 13, 2013

 
US issues certification for beta agonist-free meat
 

A new certification is available to US beef or pork suppliers that want to market their products as never fed beta agonists and free of beta-agonist residues, according to the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS).

According to AMS, the programme is open to livestock, beef and pork producers that submit marketing programmes to the Livestock, Poultry and Seed (LPS) Programme for verification and monitoring. Among other requirements, companies must submit documentation that meets requirements under the Process Verified and Quality System Assessment programmes, the agency said.

Zilpaterol came under intense scrutiny after Springdale, Arkansas-based Tyson Foods Inc. announced it would stop buying cattle fed zilpaterol on concerns the feed additive was causing lameness in cattle and negatively impacting beef quality.

Merck Animal Health, which manufactured Zilmax (zilpaterol hydrochloride), stopped sales of the product in the US and Canada in August. The company said it would conduct a scientific audit to monitor the process of feeding Zilmax to cattle.