DES Checks
The U.S. Department of
Agriculture announced last week
that it will keep checking for
residues of the synthetic growth
promotant, diethylstilbestrol
(DES), as long as use of the
newly banned drug remains a
possibility.
The announcement came in
response to the Food and Drug
'Administration’s (FDA) action to
ban DES implants in livestock.
Producers have been using the
implant to increase weight gain
of animals. FDA earlier banned
the addition of DES to animal
feed as of January 1, 1973, after
review of DES research data.
The Proven
Performers!
S J
to Continue
In commenting on the action,
Secretary of Agriculture Earl L.
Butz reiterated his comments at
the time DES was banned as a
feed additive, and pointed out
that while he understood the
necessity for the FDA action
because of the requirements
of the Delaney Amendment, the
action will result in increased
food costs to the consumer and
involves a product which has
been used for more efficient food
production for twenty years with
no known instance of harm to
humans.
Officials of USDA’s Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service
(a
CLARK
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said that cattle legally given DES
implants will be coming to
slaughter during the next few
months.
During this period and for some
time beyond, USDA meat in
spectors will continue to sample
animals at the 'current rate
approximately 6,000 samples
yearly. The samples will be sent
to USDA laboratories for testing
using gas chromatography, the
most advanced procedure now
available for laboratory
examination of samples from
slaughtered animals. This
method can detect DES residues
in amounts as small as 0.5 parts
per billion in an animal’s tissue.
As in the past, any positive result
will be reported to FDA for ap
propriate action.
If the continued monitoring
program shows that there is good
compliance with FDA’s ban on
DES, USDA will reduce the
number of DES analyses and
direct more attention to other
residue problems.
The experiments necessary to
determine whether DES implants
leave any residues in the tissues
of cattle were begun in July 1972,
by scientists of USDA’s
Agricultural Research Service
(ARS) at Beltsville, Md., in
cooperation with researchers at
the ARS Radiation and
Metabolism Laboratory, Fargo,
N.D.
Experiments were conducted
under feedlot conditions with
normal implanting procedures
and with the use of radioactive 14-
C labeled implants. Radioactive
implants were used so that the
movement of DES could be
traced.
The ARS studies, using
sophisticated analyses, show that
a minute trace of radioactivity
appears m the livers and kidneys
of treated animals as long as 120
days after implantation. This
minute quantity is not detectable
by gas-liquid chromatography
testing procedures.
The trace of radioactivity that
was found has not been
categorically identified as being
associated with the DES
molecule. However, there is
reason to believe that some of it is
DES.
While the exact economic
impact of the banning of DES
PH: 768-8228
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 5,1973 —
Pomona Grange Confers Fifth Degree
Lancaster County Pomona
Grange 71 held its spring meeting
April 28 at Fulton Grange Hall.
The Master, Jesse Wood,
presided at the business session.
The Grange went on record in
opposition to Pennsylvania
permitting the use of double
trailer trucks on our highways.
They opposed on the grounds that
they would increase the danger of
accidents due to cars, trucks and
other vehicles weaving in and out
of traffic in order to pass them
and also the additional length
would be more hazardous on
implants is not known, USDA
points out that a 1971 study by
USDA, based on use of DES as an
additive to feed, resulted in an
estimate that banning of DES
could cost consumers several
hundred million dollars annually.
USDA officials stated that the
economic impact of the ban on
DES might be reduced if cattle
feeders decide to expand the use
of other implants approved as
growth promotants. These drugs
may be just as effective as DES
in increasing weight gain but
may be more costly. A list of such
currently approved growth
promotants is available from
Press Service, Office of Com
munication, USDA, Washington,
D.C. 20250. Please use zipcodes.
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slippery highways. If double
traders would be permitted on
Pennsylvania highways truck
traffic on interstate highways
would increase overburdening
our present truck-crowded high
ways which would necessitate
more highways being built,
taking money from our other
roads which are in deplorable
condition. Additional trucks
would increase pollution and
would further destroy our
railroad system which has been
and still is necessary to our
national economy.
The fifth degree was conferred
upon nine candidates at Saturday
nights meeting. Thomas
Galbreath, Deputy State Grange
Master of Lancaster County,
presented a certificate from the
Pennsylvania State Grange to
Jesse Cutler in recognition of his
being selected “Granger Of The
Year” for 1972 in Lancaster
County.
A member of the youth com
mittee will be selected to attend
the Pennsylvania State Grange
Leadership School at Gettysburg
College June 26, 27 and 28.
Mr. and Mrs. William Shep
pard and Mr. and Mrs. Robert
Chambers of Chester County
gave brief remarks.
Mrs. Charles McSparran
19