HomeOld_PostsCattle nutrition: Part Six...natural forage vs growth hormones

Cattle nutrition: Part Six…natural forage vs growth hormones

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WORLDWIDE cattle production is differentiated by animal genetics and feeding methods.
This results in differing quality types, with significant changes occurring over time.
The US, European Union (EU), Brazil, Australia, Argentina and Russia account for about 60 percent of global beef production.
The US is by far, the largest consumer of beef in the world. According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), 25-33 million cattle move through commercial cattle feed yards and institutions annually.
Thus the exclusive adoption of grass-fed beef production to feed these vast herds would increase the amount of forage land needed to raise the cattle and reduce crop land used to feed them and humans.
Countries with excess or low-value land tend to grass-feed their cattle herds, whereas countries with excess feed grains, such as the US and Canada, finish their cattle with a grain ration.
In some Asian countries such as Japan, tastes and preferences have encouraged feeding grain to cattle, but at a high cost since Japan is not a grain surplus country and grain must be imported.
Intensive or industrial factory farming of animals that originated in the US in the late 1930s, has resulted in animals being reared and fed in landless environments such as in stalls, pens and feedlots in very high stocking densities.
This has resulted in an integrated model of production, where large corporations control most aspects of animal husbandry in the food industry, processing of animals into food products and sales to the consumer market.
Industrial production systems differ from grazing systems and integrated livestock-crop farming systems by their inclusion of various substances such as veterinary drugs, growth hormones, feed and other additives to improve livestock production effectiveness.
Often the issue is further complicated by the political interests and confusion between labels such as ‘free range’, ‘organic’, or ‘natural’ food product.
Cattle raised primarily on a forage diet are termed grass-fed or pasture-raised; for example meat or milk may be called ‘grass-fed beef’ or ‘pasture-raised dairy’.
However, the term pasture-raised can lead to confusion with the term ‘free range’, which does not fully describe what the animals eat.
Cattle can thus be labelled ‘free range’ but are not necessarily grass-fed.
Another term, that generally has no strict regulations, is ‘grass-finished’, for which cattle are generally held to a higher standard in terms of tenderness and marbling than grain-fed cattle of a similar age.
In the US ‘corn/maize-fed’, ‘corn/maize-finished’ or ‘grain-fed’, cattle are typically fattened on maize, soy and other types of feed for several months before slaughter.
Some corn-fed cattle are fattened in concentrated animal feeding operations known as feed lots.
As a high-starch, high-energy food, corn decreases the time to fatten cattle and increases carcass yield.
In 2007, USDA, established a standard definition for ‘grass-fed’ which requires cattle continuous access to pasture and prevents them from being fed grain or grain-based products.
In recent times, antibiotics have been added to grain feed as a growth stimulant as well as the use of supplemental growth hormones to improved feed efficiency, carcass quality and the rate of muscle development.
This, according to the cattle industry, allows abundant meat to be sold at affordable prices.
Antibiotics are commonly used in the food production system as a way to control the growth of potentially harmful bacteria. Potential benefits from the use of antibiotics include the prevention of diseases, increase in food and water uptake and increase the digestive effectiveness of the animal.
In Canada, there are concerns about antibiotic residues getting into the milk or meat of cattle.
For this reason, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) enforces standards which protect consumers by ensuring that foods produced will not contain antibiotics at a level which will cause harm to consumers.
Conversely, in the US where livestock consume 70 percent of the antibiotics, the US Government requires a ‘withdraw period’ for any animal treated with antibiotics before it can be slaughtered, to allow residue to exit the animal.
The most common form of antibiotics is called ionophores.
Ionophores were originally developed as coccidiostats for poultry and to prevent coccidiosis in cattle.
Ionophores work by improving both feed efficiency and growth rate and lower methane production as one result.
This practice contributes to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, including Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), though they have not been shown to create antibiotic-resistant MRSA.
The use of hormones in beef cattle costs US$1,50 but adds between 18-23kg to the weight of a steer at slaughter.
Bovine somatotropin, or bovine growth hormone, is a naturally-produced protein in cattle.
Recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST) or recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) is an artificial growth hormone produced using microbes with modified (recombinant) DNA.
It is approved in the US since 1993, though its use has been controversial since farmers have started using it.
Although there is growing concern that hormone residues in meat and milk might be harmful to human and animal health, the quantities of hormones found in a serving of meat are said to be far below the level considered to be a risk to the development of cancer.
Additionally, the World Health Organisation (WHO), affirms that the hormone levels between the implanted and non-implanted animals are indistinguishable.
Current scientific evidence is therefore, insufficient to support the hypothesis that pubescent maturation is caused by the hormonal substance use in animals.
In contrast, the differences between levels in treated and non-treated animals were deemed significant enough for the EU to ban imports of US beef.
Most EU nations banned the use of growth hormones based on grounds that they have yet to be proven safe.
This, no doubt was one of the reasons grass-fed, organically bred beef imported from Zimbabwe was so prized.
Growth hormones are synthetically created; testing, however, cannot distinguish between artificial hormones and those naturally produced by the animal itself.
However, the use of supplemental growth hormones has been very controversial, with consumer concern regarding growth hormone use being linked to a number of human health problems.
In Canada, the Animal Nutrition Association of Canada has developed a comprehensive Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) system for animal feed production called ‘Feed-Assure’.
This includes a requirement for independent audits of feed mills including production processes and record keeping.
The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association has also developed a HACCP based on-farm food safety programme.
Regulations in the US on veterinary drug use in food animals and drug-residue testing programmes ensure that the product in the grocery store is free of residue from antibiotics or synthetic hormones used in livestock.
The US Department of Health and Human Services regulates drugs that can be present within commercial livestock feed.
Antibiotics are commonly used in the food production system as a way to control the growth of potentially harmful bacteria. Potential benefits from the use of antibiotics include the prevention of diseases, increase in food and water uptake and increase the digestive effectiveness of the animal.
There are concerns, however, about residues of the antibiotics getting into the milk or meat of cattle.
In Canada, CFIA enforces standards which protect consumers by ensuring that foods produced will not contain antibiotics at a level which will cause harm to consumers.
In the US, the Government requires a withdrawal period for any animal treated with antibiotics before it can be slaughtered, to allow residue to exit the animal.
It is gratifying to note that Zimbabwean-produced beef is still one of the safest in the world.
Dr Tony Monda holds a PhD in Art Theory and Philosophy and a DBA (Doctorate in Business Administration) and Post-Colonial Heritage Studies. He is a writer, lecturer, musician, art critic, practising artist and corporate image consultant. He is also a specialist art consultant, post-colonial scholar, Zimbabwean socio-economic analyst and researcher.
For views and comments, email: tonym.MONDA@gmail.com

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