Tainted US meat poses an imminent problem

THE minimum expectation of any government is surely that it will keep its people safe. Unfortunately, the present Government has manifestly failed to do that and the future is not looking good.

Having mismanaged the coronavirus pandemic through missteps and repeated failures over testing, PPE and reluctance to move to lockdown quickly enough, the Government is now poised to undertake a deal with the USA, lowering our food standards to allow sub-standard meat into our food chain. Our farmers will be undercut by such produce and driven into bankruptcy.

In the USA, despite opposition from many Americans, the use of growth hormones, steroids and antibiotics are widespread in the meat industry. The use of growth hormones has meant natural birth in cows has been supplanted by the necessity for farmers to yank the over-sized calves from the heavily pregnant, straining cows.

So prevalent are steroids in American beef, athletes who fail doping tests have blamed their excess steroid levels on eating tainted beef.

The widespread use of antibiotics has increased bacterial resistance in American cattle and that resistance can be passed on when the tainted meat is eaten. The long-term interaction between steroids and antibiotics, how the steroids increase the rate and increase in resistance to antibiotics in animals and subsequently in humans, is still unclear to scientists.

In America hormone-free meat is promoted as a premium product, and some US authorities recommend that it is safer to buy and eat European meat.

PETER MILORY By email