Changes have been made in the government screening process for antibiotic residues in meat. The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service is the government agency in charge of the antibiotic surveillance efforts. Pork Checkoff Vice President of Science and Technology Dr. Paul Sundberg says this ensures a safe, healthy product for the consumer…
“This June FSIS implemented a new confirmation test that follows on their screening tests that they do in the packing plants. So, when they take a piece of meat they perform a screening test in the packing plant and look for positive or negative. When it comes up positive they hold the carcass and they do a confirmation test. If it comes up negative, that’s fine, but if it’s positive and that takes a little longer. But, it’s this new confirmation test that they do now that has changed some of the results that they have gotten before.”
Sundberg says the new confirmation test prompted quick feedback from pork producers…
“Since this new test has been implemented in June, the experience that we’ve had with it so far is that there’s been an increased number of violations, so far, in culled sows going into sow marketing plants. Especially violations for penicillin in these culled sows.”
According to Sundberg this test has resulted in one key point…
“The system is working. This confirmation test, while very sensitive, it seems to be also very specific and it seems that the system, as far as food safety, is working. And that’s good. I mean, we all rely on the government agencies, and we want to make sure that the government agencies are credible, they’re scientifically based, and they do their job. And it looks like this new test is helping them do their job.”
Sundberg is encouraging producers to review Pork Quality Assurance with their veterinarian...
“Because the PQA Plus has just about all the information that they need to have in order to prevent a violative residue, whether it’s in a sow, or if it’s in a market pig. But, certainly it has just about all that information, because it talks about a veterinarian/client/patient relationship; the VCPR, and getting veterinarian’s input into animal antibiotic use when to use, how much to use, how to use, all those different things.”
And, according to Sundberg withdrawal times must be monitored...
“On Pork dot Org website, under the Resources Tab, we provide a data base of suggested withdrawal times based on different uses of a lot of different antibiotics, penicillin being one, in order to meet the requirements for export markets. And those export markets should be sufficient that there won’t be any issues with a confirmation test in the US market.”
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