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- establish and enforce withdrawal period

- Are NOT approved for use in swine or poultry


Beta-agonists

  • Synthetics chemicals that shift nutrients away from fat production to the promotion of lena muscle growth 

  • Types allowed in the US

- ractopamine hydrochloride

- zilpaterol hydrochloride

Antibiotics

  • Are used to prevent and treat illness in livestock animals

  • Help maintain a steady supply of meat from healthy animals

  • Can be used in two manners:

    • administered in small, preventative doses through feed and water; known as sub-therapeutic use

    • administered in larger doses to treat illness

-  Must be approved for the intended use by the FDA before administered to livestock

- Have withdrawal periods which are set by the FDA and must be followed


Withdrawal Periods

  • Will allow ample time for the drug or hormone to pass through the animal’s

system

  • Are set by the FDA and monitored through testing by FSIS

Safety Second FSIS collects approximately 1.5 million samples per year from meat products to test for hormone and antibiotic residues.


Saftey Second It is vital to read the label of any drug given to an animal as it may delay the time of harvest due to mandatory withdrawal periods.


Handling Procedures

  • May influence red meat yield due to bruising and meat quality

  • Should aim to prevent injury and stress to the animal

  • Include:

- not shipping horned cattle in confined spaces to prevent bruising

- properly using sorting sticks to prevent bruising and lesions

- designing working facilities to minimize stress and injury

- avoiding short-term stress in swine immediately prior to slaughter to prevent meat quality issues

- preventing long-term stress in all livestock to prevent degradation of meat quality