b'during the course of the debate, I told the Commission delegates that:Growth-promotingsubstancesdo not belong in animal husbandry and that many food companiesinclud-ingTysonandMerckitselfhave had concerns about zilpaterol caus-inghealthandbehavioralproblems with cattle (and Merck even pulled the product off the market after re-ports exposed the abuse to animals associated with its use);Theresiduesinfoodcanimpact humansevenatthelevelscurrent-ly determined by JECFA to be safe, causingtremors,heartpalpitations, and other health issues; CAC Voting Board on ZilpaterolMany countries around the Worldpostage-stamp-sized southwestern PacificIn an obviously well-choreographed se-have wisely banned this class of vetIsland states specially flown in for this veryries of moves to rival any Broadway musi-drugs; reason.Mostdisgusting,though,werecal, and aided by the CAC Chairman Steve Zilpaterolsuseinhorseshasal- those 25 countries that either prohibit zil- Wearne, the pro-zilpaterol countries forced readybeenbanned,sowhyarewepaterol use in their own countries or elsea vote on the issue that they then won 87-48 trying to use it in cattle?; simply do not use it domestically but whoto advance the zilpaterol standard from both argued and voted for the zilpaterolStep 4 to Step 5. However, in a second vote Beingacatecholamine,zilpaterolstandard to advance. Traitors to their owntaken to brazenly suspend the Codex Pro-has been implicated as a contributo- countrys laws and citizens is probably thecedural Manual so that they could advance ry cause for increased bacterial prob- nicest way that I could describe them. And,the standard to Step 5/8inches away from lems coming off commercial feedlotsyet, some of the other pro-zilpaterol coun- the goal linethey failed.these days; tries saluted these 25 traitors as sterling ex- Amazingly, most of the delegates care Far from being robust, the JEC- amples of Codex fidelity. more about how Codex might appear by FA risk assessment of this dangerousAfter two days of discussion and debate,not adopting a standard than they care chemical was not done in combina- the European Union, Russia, China, Nor- about consumer health. Plus, they dont tion with other vet drugs, medicatedway, Switzerland, Iran, India, Thailand,appear to listen to our counter-arguments feeds,toxins,endocrinedisrupters,ENCA, IBFAN, and the National Healthat all. While Austria was giving several ex-and EMFs, so there is no informationFederation finally lost the battle to holdcellent arguments on this issue, I could see on the cumulative and synergistic ef- back the barbarians from breaching our de- the Australian delegate seated next to her fects on humans or animals from thefenseswhich had held so well for 10 years,was thumbing through her phone. And drug residues of zilpaterol and otherto keep this toxic vet drug that is added tocuriously, the Merck front group called factors acting together, directly vio- animal feed for its Arnold Schwarzeneg- Health for Animals, which has vocally lating the requirements of the Codexger effect on the animalsfrom advancingpushedzilpaterolforyears,wassilent Procedural Manual; andbeyond Step 4 in the Codex 8-step processnearly the entire debate. It was almost as of adoption. NHF and others had success- if they knew that the outcome was already CodexisthesoleRiskManagerfully blocked any zilpaterol standard fromsewn up in their favor.here, so its entirely appropriate foradvancing in several previous Codex meet- Appearing above is a screenshot that I it to accept or reject any risk assess- ings because we could correctly argue thattook of the Codex voting board showing ment, for any reason whatsoever. there was no consensus. However, in anthe votes cast for, against, and in absten-Arguing in favor of the zilpaterol stan- in-person (not wholly online) meeting attion by the member states on the issue of dard and its use worldwide were the entirethe Commission level, any member countryadvancing the zilpaterol standard to Step Western Hemisphere countries, most ofmay call for a vote on the question to force5. INGOs, such as NHF, may not vote. Africa (including NHFs former ally Souththe issue, and that is exactly what they didAt the very next Commission meeting Africa), Australia, New Zealand, and thethis time in order to win. you can be assured that Merck and its H ealtHF reedomN ews /w iNter2022 11'