Recent efforts to identify whether zilpaterol and ractopamine were a cause of fatigued cattle syndrome determined that the products have no effect on problems seen in fed cattle at the packing plant. The alternative explanation is that heavier cattle respond negatively to aggressive handling.
Source: Beef Magazine, February 2016, page 18.
“But the one thing that was consistent was the inconsistency of whether or not a beta-agonist was being used at the feedyard,” said Dan Thomson, professor of epidemiology and production medicine at Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine. So the researchers at K-State, Iowa State, and Texas Tech began to dig deeper for the causes.
INSIGHTS – This is a great story about how responsible our animal health industry really is with its products, research and food-production stewardship.