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| HHS Sec’y Robert Kennedy |
by Ann Hess, Feedstuffs magazine
Washington, DC — The Animal Legal Defense Fund, Center for Biological Diversity, Center for Food Safety and Food Animal Concerns Trust submitted a petition to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration to reconsider reducing or eliminating ractopamine from swine and cattle diets. More than 50 groups, led by Friends of the Earth, sent a letter this week to FDA Commissioner Martin Makary, as well as U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Center for Veterinary Medicine Acting Director Timothy Schell, in support, urging the agency to ban or restrict the use of the feed additive.
To read their letter click here.
“We’re calling on President Trump and Secretary Kennedy to Make America Healthy Again by taking this extraordinarily risky drug out of our food,” said Hannah Connor, environmental health deputy director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “It’s outrageous that Democratic and Republican administrations alike have been too timid to take on powerful agribusiness interests to protect Americans’ health, but we hope this administration finds the courage to put a stop to this dangerous drug use.”
A synthetic beta-adrenergic agonist, ractopamine is used in livestock diets to promote growth, increase muscle mass and improve feed efficiency. It works by influencing muscle protein synthesis and fat metabolism. Since it adds lean muscle to livestock going to market, it is also a popular choice to feed show animals to increase their chance of a top placement.
The use of ractopamine is approved in 26 countries, including the U.S., Canada and Mexico. FDA determined ractopamine to be safe and effective when used as directed by the label, and there is no withdrawal period prior to slaughter.
However, over 160 countries, including the European Union, Russia and China, have banned the feed additive because they consider it a potential risk for consumer health, since other beta-agonists have been shown to have negative effects on human health including increased heart rate and anxiety.
To read the entire article click here.
