REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio – Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Fred Dailey has given the thumbs up for Ohio swine exhibitors to feed Paylean.
The June 27 announcement came just in time for exhibitors hoping to feed the additive to animals intended for summer shows.
Under fire. Feeding the nutritional feed supplement came under fire earlier this year when exhibitors and show sponsors questioned the rule in Ohio Administrative Code that prohibited the use of any beta-agonist.
Paylean is a trademark of Eli Lilly and Company’s Elanco Animal Health brand of ractopamine hydrochloride, a beta-agonist. The additive is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in swine.
“This change is based on the FDA’s determination that Paylean is safe for use in hogs within certain weight limits,” said Dailey.
“But it’s still true the product can be misused, and we must guard against that. It is important that exhibitors and farmers use feed supplements according to their label directions to conform with exhibition livestock laws, which we strictly enforce in this state.”
The move rescinded any previous actions ODA took to prohibit or allow Paylean use, according to department officials.
More problems. The agriculture department has determined through laboratory testing that Paylean has been used improperly in exhibition lambs in Ohio this spring, and investigations continue.
Species other than swine are not permitted to be fed the product under state or federal rules.
Because the product has not yet been approved for use in animals other than hogs, there is no standard for what amount of Paylean, if any, could be considered safe for use in sheep, cattle, or other non-swine livestock, Dailey said.
Additive details. Feeding Paylean to market hogs is legal as long as label directions are followed. The label indicates it can be fed only from 150 pounds to 240 pounds live weight, and has no withdrawal time.
Paylean is not for use in breeding animals and is not approved to be fed to any other species.
The feed additive, available premixed in several brands of show feeds or alone for use in on-farm feed mixing, claims to increase average daily gain, feed efficiency and lean yield percentage. It works by causing the hog’s metabolism to shift nutrients from fat to muscle growth.
The additive produces a leaner, heavier muscled pig that is more susceptible to stresses associated with weather, transport, handling and show ring activities. Paylean does not affect meat quality or food safety.
(You can contact Andrea Myers at 1-800-837-3419, ext. 22, or by e-mail at amyers@farmanddairy.com.)
