'Tainted' hogs may be killed

Utah hogs believed to have eaten tainted feed may be euthanized, a precautionary measure announced Thursday by state and local authorities.

However, government officials declined to say when they will complete tests to determine whether the feed the hogs ate was tainted, leaving local authorities somewhat frustrated.

About 2,500 swine at four northern Utah hog farms could be affected by the action, which was initiated Thursday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Those hogs are currently under a voluntary "hold order," preventing the sale or transportation of the animals, according to the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food.

In addition, the FDA said Thursday that it had identified and removed from commerce 50 hog carcasses at a slaughterhouse in Utah.

Still, key questions remained unanswered Thursday. It is not known whether any Utah hogs consumed contaminated feed. It is not known whether, if they did consume tainted feed, they suffered ill effects. It isn't known whether any contaminated pork made it to market, or what effect, if any, consuming pork from contaminated hogs would have on humans. Local and national experts said it is very likely minimal.

"The risk factor is so low that really I don't think that anyone needs to be concerned that they've eaten a product that could harm them," UDAF commissioner Leonard Blackham reiterated Thursday. "I don't think there should be any reservation about eating pork. The levels we're talking about are so low that the risk is basically zero."

David Elder, director of the Office of Enforcement at the FDA's Office of Regulatory Affairs, said in a teleconference the FDA has determined that a shipment of rice protein imported from China was contaminated with melamine and melamine-related compounds. Melamine is a non-protein nitrogen source with a variety of uses, including fertilizer.

The product was imported during the week of April 2 by Wilbur-Ellis, an importer and distributor of agricultural products. The rice protein was used in the production of pet food, and a byproduct was used to produce animal feed, including feed manufactured at Ogden-based Animal Nutrition Inc.

The FDA is still running tests on whether hogs ate the contaminated food.