Alarm over animal drug residues in luxury foods
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Christmas foods such as turkey, quails' eggs, beef and salmon have been found to contain potentially dangerous levels of veterinary medicine.
Christmas foods such as turkey, quails' eggs, beef and salmon have been found to contain potentially dangerous levels of veterinary medicine.
The findings by government scientists revealed alarmingly high traces of drugs fed to animals in a wide range of luxury foods sold in Britain.
Experts said the residues – some of which cause cancer in large enough doses – could be harmful, particularly to children, and have been banned in Britain.
A report by the Veterinary Residues Committee also found imported pâté, prawns and honey were contaminated with residues of the toxic antibiotic streptomycin. The discovery prompted investigations in Mexico and China.
In turkeys, residues were found of antibiotics above levels permitted by British law. Excessively high levels of additives called coccidiostats, used to control infection, were also found. Quail eggs had traces of dimetridazole, a drug suspected to cause cancer which has been banned for use in quail in the UK.
Five of the 30 samples of quail and seven samples of quail eggs had traces of lasalocid, a highly toxic drug.
The Food Standards Agency said that at the levels detected there was no risk to human health. But Richard Young, of the Soil Association, said young children could be harmed if they ate the meat.
"Doubling the dose of lasalocid by accident kills chickens and turkeys each year. Despite efforts by the industry to clean up its act, the overall use of farm drugs has gone up substantially," he said.
Samples of beef contained residues of hormones, while farmed salmon had traces of the antibiotic ivermectin and the potentially cancer-causing medicine malachite green.
The report found illegally high levels of tetracyclines in prawns from Thailand and Bangladesh and a concentration of the drug nicarbazin in a sample of French pâté above the level permitted in Britain.
A spokesman for the committee said the testing was designed to reassure consumers and make sure their health was not compromised.
Robin Maynard, of the rural lobby group Farm, said the findings were damaging to farmers and consumers. "These chemicals are a tool and a product of the intensification of agriculture. Most farmers don't want to be forced to use so many of these products.''
CHEMICALS ON MENU
Turkey and broiler chicken: residues of chlortetracycline, tylosin, and nicarbazin above permitted levels
Quail: residues of lasalocid, above permitted level
Quail eggs: residues of lasalocid and dimetridazole, which is banned for use in quail
Farmed salmon: traces of ivermectin, banned as a medicine for salmon
Farmed salmon and trout: residues of leuchomala chite green, which is banned
Prawns: traces of tetracyclines and chloramphenical, an antibiotic
French paté: residue of nicarbazin
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments