Chinese pigs test positive for illegal feed additive
In central China’s Henan Province 19 pigs have tested positive to having a banned additive, Clenbuterol, which is poisonous to humans, in their urine, Jiyuan city government said in a statement.
According to the statement more than 1,300 pig farms and vet drug stores are under investigation. The policy have taken several people into custody. And at least 6 officials and workers at local animal quarantine stations have been fired or suspended from duty.
All suspected meat products have been removed from shelves, and all feedstuff and meat confirmed to contain the additive have been destroyed.
Tests are to be carried out throughout the province, said Li Mengshun, chief of the provincial animal husbandry bureau.
In Nanjing City, capital of nearby Jiangsu Province, the local government suspended operations Thursday of Xingwang Slaughter House after pigs believed to be from Henan tested positive to Clenbuterol. Authorities also tested pigs in 35 other slaughter plants and 38 pig farms in Nanjing but no tests results were positive.
The tests came after media reports alleging that Jiyuan Shuanghui Food Co., Ltd., purchased pig fed containing Clenbuterol.
Clenbuterol is a chemical that can be fed to pigs to prevent them from accumulating fat. It is banned as an additive in pig feed in China because it can end up in the flesh of pigs and is poisonous to humans if ingested. According to biological experts, humans can suffer from nausea, headaches, limb tremors and even cancer after eating food containing Clenbuterol.
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