Illegal hormones ‘still used’ to fatten cattle

3 December 2004
 
BRUSSELS — Illegal hormones are still being used in Belgium to fatten cattle, new data submitted to the government shows.
 
Data collected by veterinary inspectors and federal police found the use of such substances still occurs on a grand scale, although the presence of the hormones is often difficult to prove.
 
The substances are used to make cattle grow faster.
 
They have been linked to health problems in humans, and have been a big bone of contention between the European Union and the United States.
 
The research unearthed 49 positive cases in which hormones were used, of which 37 were only discovered after a police investigation.
 
On top of this, it was found laboratories and farms conducted few random or targeted tests of animals.
 
Those involved in the study expressed frustration at gathering information on whether or not animals are treated with hormones.
 
“The use of these products is illegal, but they are absorbed quickly into the organism, so it is difficult to prove their presence,” a police officer told La Derniere Heure newspaper.
 
He went on to say that in cases where animals had died, it was nearly impossible to determine from the carcasses whether there was a presence of hormones.
 
[Copyright Expatica 2004]

 
Subject: Belgian news