Source: Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE, 11/7/14

The Humane Society of the United States, the United Farm Workers of America and the Animal Legal Defense Fund are suing the Food and Drug Administration for permitting livestock growers to administer ractopamine-based animal growth promotants.
The groups are charging FDA has failed to take into account ractopamine’s cumulative effects on animal behavior, worker safety, wildlife, or the nation’s waterways.

The lawsuit, filed in federal district court in San Francisco, asks the court to set aside FDA’s approvals of the drugs at issue while the agency performs an environmental review.

Specifically, the groups called out newer combinations of ractopamine with such antibiotics as tylosin, monensin and melengestrol, charging the drugs remain active in animal waste.

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