Use of banned ‘red meat’ chemicals in cattle uncovered

Thai authorities have arrested a chemical supplier after finding salbutamol, a beta agonist used illegally as a “red meat” enhancer, in nearly 1,000 cattle in an eight-month investigation spanning five provinces.

Police and livestock officials seized animal feed, raw materials and production equipment worth 32 million baht and uncovered financial transactions of 80 million baht linked to the supplier, Pol Lt Gen Natthasak Chaowanasai, commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), said during a media briefing on Tuesday.

Beta-agonists such as salbutamol pose a potential threat to human health because they can pass from animal feed to cattle and remain as residues in meat.

The substances are used legally in products to treat breathing problems in humans but are also used illegally to increase muscle mass and reduce fat in cattle.

Consumer protection police and officials from the Department of Livestock Development launched their investigation in February, tracing the supply chain from markets and cattle farms to animal-feed production facilities and the original suppliers of the chemicals.

Authorities searched 16 locations in Pathum Thani, Saraburi, Suphan Buri, Kanchanaburi and Phetchaburi provinces and tested 967 cattle, said Pol Lt Gen Natthasak.

Tests detected salbutamol residues in cattle urine and beef. Officials seized or impounded animal feed, raw materials, premixes and production equipment worth a combined 32.4 million baht.

A further investigation found 80.3 million baht in transactions flowing into and out of accounts linked to the supplier of the chemicals used in the process.

Pol Maj Gen Kongkrit Lertsithikul, commander of the Consumer Protection Police Division (CPPD), said the operation began with inspections at markets and meat outlets. Samples were collected and tested for prohibited residues.

When the banned substance was detected, investigators traced the meat back to slaughterhouses and cattle farms before expanding their probe to animal feed and related production processes.

The substance was found in meat, animal feed and feed-production equipment and in cattle at farms suspected of using adulterated feed. The evidence was seized and the investigation expanded.

Discussing the results of the eight-month investigation into banned chemical use in animal feed, from left: Pol Maj Gen Kongkrit Lertsithikul, commander of the Consumer Protection Police Division (CPPD); Pol Lt Gen Natthasak Chaowanasai, commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB); Sorawut Nueangchamnong, secretary to the minister of agriculture and cooperatives; and Somchuan Rattanamangkalarnon, director-general of the Department of Livestock Development. (Photo supplied/Wassayos Ngamkham)

Pol Maj Gen Kongkrit said that investigators in June obtained information from several farms and financial records identifying the supplier of the substance and animal feed containing it to farms.

Officials discovered that after a series of searches conducted on June 11, the suspect transferred more than 8 million baht out of his accounts.

Investigators subsequently gathered further evidence, including witness statements, financial records and scientific test results, to identify the substance found at the farms.

Laboratory tests confirmed it was salbutamol. Investigators then submitted the evidence to the court to obtain an arrest warrant.

On Sept 4, police arrested the suspect, identified only as “Mr Ek”, at his home. A background check found that he had worked as a sales representative in the animal-feed industry since 1996, although he currently did not hold a licence to sell feed.

An examination of accounts associated with animal-feed transactions found more than 80 million baht flowing into and out of the accounts from late last year until the period when the suspect transferred funds out.

Sorawut Nueangchamnong, secretary to the minister of agriculture and cooperatives, said the illegal operation was extensive and could affect both the economy and consumers.

Somchuan Rattanamangkalarnon, director-general of the Department of Livestock Development, said it had intensified its crackdown following complaints from consumers and livestock farmers.

He warned consumers and livestock farmers that salbutamol was strictly prohibited as an ingredient in animal feed because residues can remain in meat and affect consumers.

People with heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes, and pregnant women and children, could be particularly vulnerable. Exposure may cause irregular heartbeats, trembling, nausea, vomiting and dizziness and could potentially be life-threatening, he said.