US Feed Producer Cargill Quits Using Ractopamine That Caused Suspensions of 2 American Horses & Riders
8 years ago StraightArrow Comments Off on US Feed Producer Cargill Quits Using Ractopamine That Caused Suspensions of 2 American Horses & Riders
LEXINGTON, Kentucky, May 9, 2017–American animal feed manufacturer Cargill reported it has quit using the supplement ractopamine in all its products and withdrawn from the market a gastric nutritional supplement that led to two United States combinations being provisionally suspended.
The disclosure came a day after the the Court of Arbitration for Sport lifted suspensions of Horizon and Don Principe midway through a 60-day ban on competition. The ruling came three days after provisional suspensions were lifted on Olympic team rider Adrienne Lyle of Ketchum, Idaho and Under-25 rider Kaitlin Blythe of Rougemont, North Carolina.
Cargill had analyzed its products fed to the horses and found trace elements of ractopamine in Progressive Nutrition Soothing Pink. The company made the results available to the riders and owners of the horses to be used in their fight against the suspensions imposed by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI). The riders and owners voiced high praise on the company.
Ractopamine is legal in the United States where it is used to build muscle and size in swine, turkey and cattle. However, it is banned in Europe and many other nations and is on the FEO Prohibited Substance list.
Cargill admitted responsibility for the contaminated supplement. Ractopamine was not listed as an ingredient.
“Through our investigation, we identified that Progressive Nutrition® Soothing Pink™, a nutritional supplement used to prevent gastric upset, contained an ingredient that included trace amounts of ractopamine,” Cargill said in a statement. “Upon learning of this trace finding, we immediately withdrew our Progressive Nutrition® Soothing Pink™ product from the market. At this time, we have identified and isolated the ingredient that was the source of the contamination and we have completely stopped use of the ingredient in all products.”
The U.S. federation recommended caretakers maintain a logbook of all supplements administered to competing horses including date of administration, who administered the supplement, dose, location of administration, official product name and relevant batch number.
