CHINA – China Vows to Tighten up on Food Safety – April 11, 2011

CHINA – The Agriculture Ministry has vowed to enhance supervision on animal products following the recent pork contamination scandal.

China vows to intensify supervision on quality and safety of animal products in the wake of pork contamination scandal, said Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) yesterday (10 April).

Vice Agricultural Minister Gao Hongbin said that it is imperative to crack down on illegal food additives such as clenbuterol and enhance quality supervision during the process of slaughter, sale, transport and stock in major pig-breeding areas, according to a statement on MOA web site.

Minister Gao called on local pig-producers to promote mass breeding in the industry’s standardised drive as part of efforts to transform the development mode of animal breeding.

He also noted that local authorities should take precautions against imported animal diseases.

Clenbuterol is fed to pigs to stop them from accumulating fat. It is banned as pig feed in China because it is poisonous to humans.

Shuanghui Group’s subsidiary in Jiyuan City, Henan Province, was exposed to public that it had used pork tainted with the fat-burning drug, clenbuterol, in its products on 15 March.

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CHINA – China Promotes Rearing of Local Breeds – April 08, 2011

CHINA – On 29 March 2011, a ceremony of Present Farmers with Quality Breeds was held by the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) in Jixi county of Anhui province to launch a number of such activities to benefit farmers.

Over 500 participants attended the ceremony, including officials from the National Animal Husbandry Service (NAHS), Anhui Bureau of Animal Husbandry and Health (BAHH), Xuancheng city and Jixi county governments as well as experts and farmers’ representatives. The ceremony was chaired by the NAHS Deputy Director General. Li Xirong NAHS Director General and Dong Weixing Director General of Anhui BAHH made remarks at it, according to the National Animal Husbandry Service (NAHS).

At the ceremony, companies engaged in quality breeds industry and relevant research institutes, including Anhui Fengrun Ecological Agriculture Development Co. Lid, Beijing Huadu Yukou Poultry Co. Ltd, the Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary under the Anhui Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jilin Provincial Institute of Apiculture Science and Anhui Wuhu City Zhong Poultry Co. Ltd, presented farmers with a total of 20 300 heads of quality breeds such as Wannan Black (pig), Jinghong No.1 layer, Wan long-hair rabbit and queen bees of Yi bee as well as over 300 sets of books, periodicals and DVDs about animal farming. Experts from Anhui and other provinces were invited to give lectures and on-the-spot technical advice. In addition, three technical service groups were organized to provide house-to-house technical advice for animal farming households and enterprises.

These activities aim at greater efforts for genetic development and the establishment of multiplication systems for quality breeds. To this end, NAHS is to will organise breeding enterprises to present with and introduce 16 breeds of livestock and poultry, 100,000 technical books, manuals and leaflets in 10 provinces and autonomous regions including Anhui, Liaoning and Jiangsu, with benefited farms and farm households of 25,000. By doing so, 100,000 farms and farm households would be involved through demonstration. Quality breeds to be presented would be worth over two million yuan and bring economic benefits of some 20 million yuan.

Information ThePigSite News Desk

CHINA – Chinese Crackdown on Contaminated Pig Feed – March 29, 2011

CHINA – China’s Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) said yesterday, 28 March, that the government would launch a one-year crackdown on illegal additives in pig feed which have proven to be toxic to humans.

The announcement came after a subsidiary of Shuanghui Group, China’s largest meat producer, was exposed this month for using clenbuterol-contaminated pork in its meat products.

The campaign would also involve the Food Safety Commission Office under the State Council, or Cabinet, as well as ministries of information and technology, public security, commerce, and health, along with the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, and the State Food and Drug Administration.

The illegal production, selling and use of clenbuterol, a fat-burning chemical, would be severely punished, and measures would be taken to block clenbuterol-tainted pork from entering the market, according to the MOA.

The campaign would also focus on the monitoring of pig-raising and other steps in pork supply chains, such as purchasing and slaughtering, to ensure safety of pork products.

A total of 72 people in central Henan province, where Shuanghui is based, have been taken into police custody for allegedly producing, selling or using clenbuterol, Henan provincial government said in a statement on Monday.

About 18 tons of pig feed that were suspected of having clenbuterol were confiscated by the authorities during a province-wide check that lasted from 15 to 23 March, said the statement.

Henan’s supervision authorities also investigated 53 officials and government workers for alleged dereliction of duty, said the statement.

Clenbuterol is fed to pigs to stop them from accumulating fat. It is banned as pig feed in China because it is poisonous to humans, if ingested.

Information ThePigSite