Originally posted by BTL
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Humans are currently giving livestock hormones, steroids and antibiotics to increase the animals' value in the meat industry where size matters. The meat from these animals eventually finds it way to your plate. These animals that we are consuming are being "pushed" by an outside force, but how well do they "bounce back" and what are the consequences in consideration of the food chain? Perhaps not only are we disrupting the biological system of livestock, but ourselves as well.
This issue is currently being explored in the livestock and meat industry due to the increase of a drug called clenbuterol HCl. This drug has become popular due to its desirable effects in livestock and their market value. However, this is not merely a social issue. Biology is inevitably a multidisciplinary and multifaceted field. In examining the sociological and economic factors of this phenomenon, one must also consider the biological consequences and vice versa. We must investigate to see if clenbuterol administration to livestock has consequences that disrupt biological systems, despite the economic and social factors.
Clenbuterol HCl is a beta-adrenergic agonist that is used illegally in the United States and Europe to increase the leanness and protein content of cattle, swine and horses. According to studies done by the Agricultural Research Service, consumption of meat from veal calves exposed to clenbuterol can poison humans. Also recent studies by the ARS suggest that residues in edible tissues in swine exposed to clenbuterol remain high after slaughter, despite a withdrawal period from the drug. Their research has shown that even after a seven-day withdrawal period, the residues of the drug still exceeded European maximum residue levels. In conclusion, clenbuterol use in swine and other livestock was determined to be inconsistent with human consumption standards. Often the drug is used in competitions at livestock shows, but research by the Food Safety and Inspection service has found many incidences of clenbuterol use in feedlots. This phenomenon is not one of the past despite research dating back to the early nineties that resulted in the restriction of distribution and use of the drug in livestock.
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