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Food Safety Body Defers Ruling on Pig-Feed Additive

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Publish time: 12th July, 2010      Source: Reuters AlertNet
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International food experts have failed to agree on an acceptable level of the pig feed additive ractopamine, which has triggered trade bans by Brussels and Beijing, a spokeswoman said on Thursday.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission, a joint body of the World Health Organisation and Food and Agriculture Organisation, will take up the issue again in 2011, WHO's Sari Setiogi said.

"No decision was taken on ractopamine. The committee is to continue discussion in next year's session. There are differences in views between countries as to the need and usefulness of ractopamine," she said.

The feed additive, which promotes muscle development for leaner meat and shortens the time to slaughter, is banned in the European Union and Brussels has blocked imports of pork from Brazil, which uses it. [ID:nLDE62921L]

Taiwan and Thailand also ban imported pork with residues of ractopamine.

China too has banned imports of pork from U.S. producers found to contain residues of ractopamine. The United States has said it "strongly disagrees with China's assertions" and called for evidence to back up the ban. [ID:nN31231596]

World production of compound animal feed amounted to about 670 million tonnes in 2009, with an estimated value of about 130 billion euros ($164 billion), according to Rabobank's Food & Agribusiness Research and Advisory.

Codex, made up of 182 member states plus the European Union, establishes food safety rules that become norms for importers and exporters to abide by. Earlier this week it set standards for "ready to eat" bagged salads and the chemical melamine, which tainted Chinese milk in 2008. [ID:nLDE6641D1]

A Codex ruling on ractopamine could set a benchmark for the World Trade Organisation to use to assess governments' adherence to agreements on food safety and sanitation, and help it arbitrate disputes over trade barriers.