010825 USDA to Require Carcasses Thrown OutAugust 11, 2001Washington - Federal food inspectors will soon require meat marketers to dispose of animal carcasses that have the residue of hormones, antibiotics and other drugs, the Department of Agriculture announced. Under current rules, packers can throw out the part of an animal that tests positive for drug residue - typically the liver or kidney - and sell the rest. That practice has long been criticized by consumer groups who argue that contaminated beef and pork is slipping into supermarkets. “Residue control is important in ensuring a safe supply of meat and poultry products,” said Thomas Billy, head of the USDA's food safety division. “We are continuously working to improve residue control measures,” Billy said. “By working together with industry and other government agencies, we will be able to provide a more wholesome food supply.” The new rule will take effect Sept. 5. The policy will apply to all livestock, but will primarily affect slaughtered dairy cows, the source of about 40% of the nation's hamburger meat. About 0.2% of the cattle tested in 1997 - about 12,400 of the 6.2 million cattle slaughtered that year - had drug residues in excess of FDA limits. Animals are tested for more than 50 different compounds, including a variety of antibiotics. Consumer advocacy groups contend that livestock producers are giving excessive amounts of drugs to their animals. There is concern among scientists, for example, that when bacteria are exposed to such drugs they develop resistance to antibiotics and become more of a threat to humans. There also is evidence that certain human illnesses and allergic reactions are due to drug residues in meat. “The beef industry has been getting off easy and putting the public at risk,” said Mark Lenton, a spokesman for Pure Food, Clean Water, a think tank in New York. “Hopefully, this will mark the end of beef contaminated by drugs.”
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