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Tainted pork was 'an isolated case'
Updated: 2011-03-31 10:39
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Sweeping spot-checks of thousands of pigs in Henan province found only a very small minority had been fed with the banned substance clenbuterol.
The Ministry of Agriculture said on Tuesday the test results suggested that a recent health scare involving tainted meat may have just been an isolated case.
The ministry posted an announcement on its official website, saying only 134 pigs out of 310,000 tested in the province were found to have been fed the illegal additive.
A recent inspection report, issued by the ministry following tests of pigs and pork at major markets across the country, found 99 percent passed the test for clenbuterol during the first quarter of the year, which was the same rate as the previous three years.
Yu Kangzhen, the ministry's national chief veterinary officer, said Tuesday that the overall quality of live pigs nationwide was "reassuring".
Liu Mancang, vice-governor of Henan, said at a press conference on Wednesday that the provincial government had dispatched more than 210,000 law enforcement officials as part of the investigation into the health of local pigs.
The announcement came in response to public fears following a scandal that was exposed two weeks ago when the media reported that Jiyuan Shuanghui Food Co, an affiliate of the country's largest meat processor, the Shuanghui Group, had purchased pigs that had been fed clenbuterol.
The additive causes pigs to develop muscle and burn fat but can cause health problems in humans.
Wan Long, board chairman of the group, admitted earlier this week that his company's image had been seriously damaged by the scandal but insisted that the case was an isolated one.
Clenbuterol has been banned in China since 2002.
（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）
About the broadcaster:
Nelly Min is an editor at China Daily with more than 10 years of experience as a newspaper editor and photographer. She has worked at major newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press. She is also fluent in Korean.
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