State fair champions pass drug tests

REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio – For the third consecutive year, all grand and reserve grand champion livestock exhibits at the 2006 Ohio State fair were confirmed free of illegal drugs.
Top three tested. Ohio Department of Agriculture officials collected samples from the grand champion, reserve grand champion, and third place overall animals at the Ohio State Fair.
Enhanced carcass inspections, combined with extensive laboratory tests that screen hair and urine samples for a variety of illegal, unapproved or undisclosed drugs, produced negative results for these animals.
Tampering act. Now in its 12th year, the livestock tampering act was implemented in 1995 to deter cheating in livestock exhibitions and to guard against possible food safety hazards.
The department provides regulatory oversight of livestock exhibitions to deter tampering at Ohio’s state and local fairs and other livestock shows.
The program is administered by the department’s Division of Animal Industry.