American Beef- Why it is Banned in Europe?

[Guest guest]

Comments?

Misty L. Trepke

http://www..com

 

American Beef: Why is it Banned in Europe?

 

HORMONES IN MEAT Fact Sheet

 

http://www.preventcancer.com/consumers/general/hormones_meat.htm

 

 

Most U. S. beef cattle are implanted with synthetic hormones in

feedlots prior to slaughter. On January 1, 1989 the European

Economic Community (EEC) placed a ban on hormone-treated U. S. meat,

preventing U. S. meat products from being sold in any European

nations. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has

challenged the ban and accused the EEC of unfair trade practices,

but the action of European governments raises some important

questions about American meat.

 

Q. Why did the Europeans (EEC) place a ban on hormone-raised meat?

 

A. The European Economic Community banned hormone-raised meat

because of questions on the dangers of meat that has been treated

with synthetic sex hormones. European consumers pressured the EEC to

take this action to protect their health.

 

More than a decade ago, Roy Hertz, then director of endocrinology at

the National Cancer Institute and a leading authority on hormonal

cancers, warned of the carcinogenic risks of estrogenic additives

which can cause imbalances and increases in natural hormone levels.

Hertz warned against the uncontrolled use of these potent

carcinogens. No dietary levels of hormones are safe and a dime-sized

piece of meat contains-billions of millions of molecules.

 

Breast cancer has been raised as a primary concern in light of

associations between breast cancer and oral contraceptives, whose

estrogen dosage is known and controlled. The risk of breast and

other cancers only increases with the uncontrolled use of hormones

in meat.

 

Q. During the seven years after the EEC ban on hormone-raised meat,

the U.S. beef industry has continued to use sex hormones in meat.

Why?

 

A. Hormones can be used to stimulate growth in cattle. Because

farmers are paid based on the weight of the animals they sell for

slaughter, the use of hormones has been seen as a way to boost

profits.

 

Q. Which hormones are used on feedlots?

 

A. Diethylstilbestrol (DES) was one of the first hormones used to

fatten feedlots. It was banned in 1979 after forty years of evidence

that DES was cancer-causing. In its place, sex hormones, such as

estradiol and progestins (synthetic forms of the naturally occurring

hormone progesterone) have been implanted to virtually all feedlot

cattle. The least hazardous way to administer hormones to animals is

through an implant near the animals ear. Unfortunately, many farmers

inject hormones directly into the muscle tissue that will be later

used to make meat products. The only USDA-imposed requirement is

that residue levels in meat must be less than one percent of the

daily hormone production of children. This requirement is

unenforceable because there is no USDA testing for hormone residues

in meat. Furthermore, hormonal residues are not practically

differentiable from natural hormones created by the cow's body. As a

result, the use of hormones to boost meat production is completely

unregulated.

 

Q. What kind of policies should be in place in the U.S. to address

this problem?

 

A. Hormonal and other carcinogenic additives (pesticides from food

fed to animals, some antibiotics, etc.) should be banned

immediately, as should be all additives that are not proven

effective and safe. Additive use and residue levels in animal

products, including milk and eggs, should be subject to explicit

labeling requirements. Until then, state initiatives that establish

hormone-free certification for European shipments, should be

applauded and extended domestically.

 

Q. What can consumers do to protect themselves?

 

A. Consumers can boycott chemical treated meat in favor of organic

meat and insist on the fight to know which additives have been used

and what residues might exist. Consumers should speak with their

butchers or grocers about hormone-free meat product availability.

 

More…

The European Ban on U. S. Meat: Press Conference

 

World Trade Organization Bans U. S. Meat. WHY?

 

None of Us Should Eat Extra Estrogen, Los Angeles Times

 

U.S. Policy Ignores Dangers of Meat Hormones, Editorial

 

Europe's Worries About U.S. Meat., Los Angeles Times Editorial

 

Europe's Ban on U. S. Beef, Press Release

 

 

CONTACT:

Samuel S. Epstein, M.D., Chairman

Chairman, Cancer Prevention Coalition

2121 W. Taylor Street, M/C 922

Chicago, IL 60612

 

epstein