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Nice to meet you. Ractopamine

Each pig producer wants his pigs to change fat into muscle tissue after depleting its genetic potential. It looks like a dream. But it is not. We have ractopamine which can change all make all these dreams come true. But everything is not so simple, as it’s not clear yet if it is good or bad.

Ractopamine belongs to the group of ß-agonists. It is used as therapeutic treatment of asthma. Nowadays it is used in a veterinary as a feed additive to increase meat content of the carcass. Ractopamine is recommended for pigs on the last stage of fattening (68-100kg), when the growth of muscle tissue decelerates, and the growth of fat increases.

Food and drug administration of the USA allowed the official usage of ractopamine in animal husbandry on the 22nd of December 1999, particularly in fattening pigs (action level - 50 ppm). American company Elanco Animal Health (subdivision Eli Lilly) developed and patented a new product which is called Paylean® (ractopamine hydrochloride). Codex Alimentarius Commission approved another action level of Paylean® in feeds for pigs which is 10 ppm on the 6th of July 2012.

Paylean® usage is allowed in 27 countries of the world(USA, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, etc.) and is prohibited in more than 120 countries (Russia, EU countries, China, etc.)

Usage of ß-agonists increases sustainability to physical exertion. They are often used by sportsmen and bikers. But continuous usage of such preparations may do much harm for the health.

Why is Ractopamine allowed in one countries and is prohibited in others? Does the health of the consumers differ? For the first Elanco Animal Health that produces preparation is an American company. The usage of Paylean® is a s manna from heaven. The main compound of feed stuff for pigs in USA is corn, which is a highly energetic crop. The consumption of corn involves considerable fat deposition. It saves the USA industry, as the pigs are satiated and there is a much meat. As a result 45% of pigs consume ractopamine together with corn. It would be difficult to calculate losses if ractopamine had been banned in USA.

The EU for example emphasizes that the consumers opinion is of higher priority. After a number of researches had been made the EU announced about banning of ractopamine in 2010 and hadn’t change the decision since that time.

The ractopamine is banned in Russia as well. The health of consumer is of the highest priority. But it is also an effective way to fight the huge volumes of export which Russia faced after the accession WTO.

Ukraine keeps silence. But 50% of imported pork comes from Brazil and this is a reason to give thought to ractopamine. It is quite logical that some percentage of meat that contains ractopamine is on the tables of Ukrainians.

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