(SEPTEMBER 8) - On Tuesday, the United States
Cattlemen's Association (USCA) sent a letterto leaders at the U.S. Department of
Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
and Food and Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) over concerns associated
with contaminated Mexican cattle, beef, lamb, poultry, and swine.
According to Food Safety News, a total of 54 people
from six municipalities have fallen ill after consuming meat contaminated
with Clenbuterol, a beta2-agnoist used as a food additive in some
livestock feed to promote muscle mass and meat yield. The practice is
illegal in the U.S. and Europe.
In the letter, USCA President Brooke Miller stated:
"Allowing contaminated meat into our borders is unacceptable for a
nation that prides itself on producing the highest quality, most
sustainable, and safest beef in the world.
"We ask that APHIS and FSIS seriously evaluate the public health
risks associated with importing beef and meat from Mexico, including
conducting an equivalence verification to ensure that Mexico is still
maintaining a regulatory food safety inspection system that is on par
with the United States’."