Growth Hormones in Veal Spark Debate

ELIZABETH WEISE / USA Today 1apr04

Revelations that up to 90% of U.S. veal calves are being fed synthetic testosterone illegally are sending a shock wave through the meat industry, causing a government crackdown and new worries about the impact of hormones on the food supply.

In interviews with USA TODAY, veal industry officials said that calves have been fed growth hormones for decades. Officials with the Food and Drug Administration, however, say this has never been legal and the safety of this practice has not been tested.

Since last Friday, the Department of Agriculture has been stopping veal calves found to have hormone implants from entering the food supply. Its action was prompted by a USDA veterinarian's discovery of a hormone-releasing implant in a Wisconsin calf.

About 700,000 veal calves are slaughtered each year at 20 weeks of age. The hormone is trenbolone acetate, which is legally used to increase growth in adult cattle but is not approved for use in calves. "We consider this an illegal activity," says Stephen Sundlof, who heads the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine. He said the drug may be metabolized differently in calves than in adult animals.

But Paul Slayton of the American Veal Association called the issue much ado about nothing, saying hormones have been fed to calves for 30 years.

It is unknown if the hormone is harmful to people who eat veal. It is also not known exactly how many calves are being held back as suppliers await a possible compromise with the FDA, which may come as soon as this weekend. Both the USDA and FDA are involved because the USDA monitors food safety and the FDA regulates drugs given to animals.

The USDA confirms that veal processing is way down, a fact echoed by the nation's largest veal processor. "Nobody's sending any animals in," says Wayne Marcho of Marcho Farms in Harleysville, Pa.

It is too soon to know how this will affect prices or when stores and restaurants may feel a shortage.

When the USDA discovered the problem last week, it was believed to affect only a small number of animals. But Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said Tuesday in a letter to FDA acting Director Lester Crawford that "more than 90% of all veal calves grown in the United States utilize a growth implant." Industry officials interviewed Thursday put the usage at 80% to 90%.

The veal industry is trying to get the FDA to stay enforcement of its rules for at least two months, so that the calves can be slaughtered and sold to restaurants and supermarkets. Pennsylvania is a big veal-producing state, and Specter said that the USDA and FDA were "likely to jeopardize the entire veal industry."

The veal industry is being criticized by other meat producers. The practice is "simply wrong," says Gary Weber of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.

source: http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2004-04-01-veal_x.htm 2apr04