Consumer Groups Push U.S. Agencies to Recommend Global Ban on Animal Drugs Banned in the U.S.
Three consumer groups wrote letters to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Trade Representative and the Food and Drug Administration, asking them to support international standards that would globally prohibit animal drugs that are banned in the U.S. The Consumers Union (CU), Center for Science in the Public Interest, and the Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT) raised concerns that drug residues in foods like imported seafood pose a risk for both U.S. and foreign consumers.
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Michael Hansen, senior scientist at CU, said that nine of the drugs in question have already been prohibited in the U.S. for many years. One of these drugs is DES, which “is well known for causing cancer in the daughters of women who took the drug when pregnant,” Hansen said. Hansen said the U.S. campaign to allow other countries permission to use these drugs puts consumers at risk when eating imported meat and fish, “or these foods when they travel.”
“These drugs are not needed for animal health, and most countries have adopted safer alternatives,” said Steven Roach, Public Health Program Director of FACT. “We urge the U.S. delegation to insist on a recommendation that other countries prohibit use of these drugs, as the U.S. itself does.” The international standards will be up for discussion on Aug. 24-30 in Minneapolis, Minn., during a meeting of UN food standards agency Codex Alimentarius. A copy of the consumer groups’ letter to the agencies is available (here).