September 12, 2005

Thai pigs given carcinogenic drugs seized

About 10,000 pigs have been seized by Thai agriculture authorities upon the discovery that feed given to these pigs had been mixed with illegal drugs that might cause cancer, the government announced on Sept 10.

After inspecting 400 farms and some 200,000 pigs in Prachuab Khiri Khan province, about 140 miles south-west of Bangkok, agriculture officials found that eight farms had used banned chemicals.

Four of the farms used feed made with carbadox, a dysentery medication for pigs that may cause cancer in people who consume the pork, announced Agriculture Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan.

The other four farms utilised antibiotics nitrofuran and furazolidone, also potential carcinogens.

The farm owners will be charged with using banned substances in animal feed and face a maximum penalty of one-year imprisonment and a THB10,000 fine, livestock department chief Yukol Limlamthong said.

The livestock department will also investigate the executives of the companies that imported these drugs and might charge them with illegal drug trafficking, which is punishable by three to five years in prison.

The pigs will be held for 70 days and then tested again for the substances. If no chemicals are detected in their systems, they may be sold, Yukol said.