COVER STORY Ractopamine RIFT RIFT US pork companies are nixing the feed additive to appeal to more export markets BY L U K A S S O U T H A R D | m e a t p o u l t r y @ s o s l a n d.c o m M 34 MEAT+ POULTRY | 12.20 | www.meatpoultry.com RESISTING RACTOPAMINE Recently, US trade officials lobbied Taiwan to ease restrictions on ractopamine pork during trade negotiations in August. The office of the US Trade Representative declined to comment on why ractopamine pork was part of negotiations with such a small trading partner. Dermot Hayes, professor of economics and agribusiness at Iowa State University, said it was a matter of proving a point. " We put so much energy into it over the years that we just wanted to finish it out and make Taiwan agree that they were protecting the producers and not following sound science, " he said. Initially, Taiwan restricted the import of ractopamine pork to protect its own hog producers. The change in trade policy will dusanpetkovic1 - stock.adobe.com any American consumers love lean meat. The drug ractopamine hydrochloride added to livestock feed is shown to efficiently grow lean muscle in beef, pork and turkey. Yet, the feed additive has been a point of contention for years. Trade organizations for the meat industry contend the drug is proven scientifically to safely promote growth, while animal welfare groups argue the drug is harmful to both animals and humans. The arguments for and against the use of ractopamine boil down to who is paying to import US meat - primarily pork - abroad. Major trading partners like China and the European Union (EU) continue to resist imports of pork treated with ractopamine due to the potential risks to human health.http://www.meatpoultry.com