WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Codex Alimentarius Commission on July 5 voted in favor of developing international standards for maximum residue levels (MRLs) for ractopamine, a feed additive for cattle.

“After five years of hard work by the Codex Commission, including the USDA and our federal agency partners, the United States welcomes the commission’s adoption of standards for the veterinary drug ractopamine,” said USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. “This action by Codex affirms the preeminent role of science in setting international standards for food safety.

“Currently, American producers face trade restrictions due to unjustified bans on the use of ractopamine, which has been approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and used safely in the United States for 12 years, as well as 25 other countries. These standards provide clear guidance to countries about the safe use of ractopamine, which promotes lean meat production.”

Established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1963, Codex sets international food standards and codes of practice for the safety of food trade.

At the Codex meeting July 2-7 in Rome, Italy, officials at the WTO alleged mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL) of ractopamine in the United States wasn’t compliant with WTO standards. Participating member countries also expressed their views on the safety of ractopamine.

Vilsack said the establishment of international standards for veterinary drugs such as ractopamine are important since many countries rely on science-based food standards to ensure the safety of food imports.

“U.S. agricultural exporters benefit and consumers worldwide benefit when countries adopt international standards,” he said. “Consumers can rest assured that their food is safe, and exporters have greater certainty about the criteria they must meet in the international marketplace.”

Kathy Simmons, chief veterinarian for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Assoc. (NCBA), who was present at the meeting, said the measure was a victory for U.S. cattle producers. She said the issue of ractopamine has historically caused unnecessary trade disruptions, adding it is recognized by the FDA as a safe feed additive, though the lack of international MRL standards has caused confusion.

“It is paramount that science is the foundation for all decisions made in the international community,” she said. “Today, the Codex Commission proved they are willing to trust science and make decisions based on facts rather than politics. We are very pleased that we can move ahead on adopting international standards for ractopamine. We commend the commission for all their work.”

Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey said it was unfortunate this issue has been used as a non-tariff trade barrier, adding he hopes “this puts us on the path to additional U.S. meat exports.

“It’s important that we move forward with scientifically-based standards for residue levels of ractopamine, and I hope our trading partners will recognize the standards the commission develops,” he said.

Like Northey, Simmons said the NCBA is hopeful the Codex decision will bring science back to the forefront of policies set by U.S. trading partners.

“Standards not based on science create an unnecessarily volatile trading environment for U.S. exporters, who are reluctant to ship products to countries with non-science-based testing regimes,” she said. “Hopefully, the Codex decision to move forward with science-based standards will translate into a shift in trade policy for other countries to adopt science-based safety standards.”

Joel Newman, president and CEO of the American Feed Industry Assoc. (AFIA) in Arlington, Va. – who also attended the Codex meetings – said after more than five years, the focus on food safety and science has prevailed with the commission. The adoption of scientifically-based MRLs for ractopamine is a testament to that, he added.

“Ractopamine is a safe partitioning feed additive that was approved by the FDA several years ago,” he said. “The AFIA applauds those nations that voted to uphold the core science-based principles of Codex.

“This vote, only the third in the 49-year history of Codex, was much bigger than ractopamine. It was about Codex committing to their well-established, science-based food safety principles and not letting individual countries use their legislative and/or social factors to impede the process.”