Late-September will mark the end, for now, of Zilmax-fed cattle
for Cargill Inc.
"Cargill has told its cattle suppliers that it is suspending the
purchase of cattle fed Zilmax, although we will allow those
currently being fed Zilmax to cycle through the supply chain," said
Mike Martin, Cargill spokesman. "We plan to harvest the last cattle
fed Zilmax at our plants by the end of September," Mr. Martin said
in an e-mail reply.
Zilmax is a beta-agonist additive that is given during the final
few weeks that cattle are in feedlots, making the animals leaner
and heavier at slaughter. The product is produced and marketed by
Merck Animal Health. Merck (MRK) announced on Aug. 16 that it would
halt the sale of Zilmax in the U.S. and Canada while it
investigates problems of animal lameness and immobility that some
companies are associating with the drug.
"We support Merck's decision to suspend sales of Zilmax pending
further research regarding potential animal well-being issues that
others have experienced," Mr. Martin said.
Tyson Foods Inc. (TSN) announced on Aug. 7 that it would suspend
purchases of cattle fed Zilmax effective Sept. 6. due to concerns
about animal well being. The company said it did not believe Zilmax
causes any food-safety issues.
Many cattle feeders who have used Zilmax are switching to
another beta-agonist product, Optaflexx, a brand of ractopamine
made by Elanco Animal Health, a division of Eli Lilly and Co.
(LLY). Some cattle feeders have expressed concerns about shortages
or delays in shipments of Optaflexx.
Elanco is managing supplies and assessing demand over the next
two weeks, Colleen Parr Dekker, spokeswoman with Elanco, told Dow
Jones.
Write to Curt Thacker at curt.thacker@dowjones.com
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