Vet drug so toxic it's banned in China is fed to a majority of pigs in US.

Originally shared by Mike Elgan

Vet drug so toxic it's banned in China is fed to a majority of pigs in US.

A deadly drug called ractopamine is banned all over the world, including in China. Yet it's fed to about 60 to 80 percent of pigs in the US.

The drug makes pigs leaner and grow faster, but can make the animals sick. In fact, ractopamine has sickened or killed more livestock than any other drug.

Farm animals in industrialized agriculture are generally so sick that California passed a law banning the slaughter of animals too sick to walk, but the Supreme Court struck it down this week.

Instead of banning ractopamine in the US, the Obama administration is instead using America's economic power to pressure other countries into accepting US meat containing traces of ractopamine into their food supplies as well, so far unsuccessfully. The issue has strained America's relationship with Taiwan.

Enjoy your bacon. ; )

http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/25/10220221-dispute-over-drug-in-feed-limiting-us-meat-exports

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ractopamine