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Ventura fair bans pig feed additive resulting in jumbo swine
VENTURA, Calif. (AP)--A crackdown on the use of a popular pig feed additive that results in super-sized swine is being imposed by the Ventura County Fair Board, which refused an exception to those who have perhaps unknowingly used the performance-enhancing additive.
Suspect pigs entered in next week's livestock competition will now get urine tests.
The July 27 7 to 2 vote cracking down on use of the additive Paylean came a week before the opening of the Ventura County Fair and board member Ginger Gherardi said it could lead to disqualification of some of the 240 entrants in the junior livestock competition.
Until this year, the rule against performance-enhancing Paylean hasn't been enforced.
Paylean is considered a safe and relatively inexpensive way for young swine tenders to improve the appearance and size of show pigs at county fairs. Several fairs nationwide have turned a blind eye to the infraction because they are unsure on how to police the burgeoning problem, fair veterinarian Michael Giacopuzzi said.
A form of the muscle enhancer has been traced in drug samples of some elite athletes.
Gherardi, who cast a dissenting vote on the crackdown, said it was too close to the start of the fair to impose the rule. Board member Bill Gallaher also opposed the move.
Proponent Armando Lopez conceded a crackdown could cause confusion and frustration, but the board member stressed that existing fair policy requires youth exhibitors to follow strict usage recommendations printed on individual feed labels.
"Lack of knowledge of the law is not an excuse to break the law," he said.
Show pigs are now bigger, leaner and more muscular because of the use of Paylean and other feed additives, Giacopuzzi said.
"Kids are not trying to cheat directly. They are not doing this intentionally," he said.
Three years ago, the top pigs at the fair had finishing weights around 240 pounds, 4-H livestock official Bert Lamb said. Now, California championship pigs are tipping in at up to 260 pounds because of the additive.
Approved for use by the federal Food and Drug Administration in 1999, Paylean is designed to burn fat and build muscle, and improve feed efficiency. A similar additive is fed to cattle.
The FDA determined Paylean meets stringent human food safety criteria and is safe for pigs, but only pigs weighing 150 to 240 pounds, Giacopuzzi said.
The crackdown means swine weighing more than 240 pounds with Paylean detected in its system by random urine testing will be disqualified and dismissed from the auction.
Urine testing is a common practice at the fair. About six out of 10 swine are randomly tested and all champions are tested, livestock director Jennifer McGuire said.
"People think Paylean is a silver bullet," said Norm Dahlia, director of California State Grange's youth fair program. Dahlia is a certified judge and quality-assurance official who travels the state making sure kids in 4-H, Future Farmers of America and Grange know and obey fair rules.
Using a feed additive in any way other than identified on the label is commonly referred as "off-label" or "extra-label" use and is prohibited.
Date: 8/23/04
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