Tyson Foods announces ban of feed additive of ractopamine for U.S. pork supply

Tyson Fresh Meats, the South Dakota-based beef and pork business unit of Springdale-based Tyson Foods Inc., said Thursday (Oct. 17) it will prohibit the use of ractopamine in the market hogs it buys from farmers.

The ban is effective in February 2020. The company said in a news release the decision was made in an effort to meet growing global demand for U.S. pork.

Ractopamine is a feed ingredient that helps increase the amount of lean meat in hogs. While it is FDA-approved and considered safe for use, some countries such as China prohibit the import of pork from hogs that have been given the product.

Tyson Fresh Meats has been offering a limited amount of ractopamine-free pork to export customers by working with farmers who raise hogs without it, and by segregating the animals and products at processing plants. However, the programs no longer adequately meet growing global demand.

“We believe the move to prohibit ractopamine use will allow Tyson Fresh Meats and the farmers who supply us to compete more effectively for export opportunities in even more countries,” Tyson Fresh Meats President Steve Stouffer said in a statement.

The company said most of the hogs delivered to the company’s pork plants are purchased from about 2,000 independent farmers. Farmers were notified of the change Wednesday and have until Feb. 4, 2020, to meet the new requirement. The company plans to work with them over the next several months to begin the process of testing hogs to ensure they are ractopamine-free.

Tyson Fresh Meats is the largest American-owned pork processor and generates almost $1 billion in pork export sales annually.