Farms.com Home   News

Maryland Bans Arsenic In Chicken Feed

Maryland became the first state to ban the use of additives containing arsenic in chicken feed Tuesday. The measure is among several new statewide laws that took effect Jan. 1.

State lawmakers passed a bill banning the chemical last year. It's used to help poultry and other fowl grow and fight parasites.

Pfizer Inc., which distributes the product, stopped selling the additive in July 2012 after a U.S. Food and Drug Administration study found higher levels of inorganic arsenic in chickens treated with the chemical.

Click here to see more...

Trending Video

What Does 20 MILLION Hogs a Year Look Like?

Video: What Does 20 MILLION Hogs a Year Look Like?


?? The Multi-Plant System Processing 20 Million Hogs Annually in the Midwest JBS USA operates multiple large-scale pork processing facilities across the Midwest, including major plants in Iowa, Minnesota, and Indiana. Combined, these facilities have the capacity to process approximately 20 million hogs annually.

Each plant operates high-speed automated slaughter systems capable of processing up to 20,000 head per day, followed by fabrication lines that break carcasses into primals, sub-primals, and case-ready retail products.

Hog procurement is coordinated through electronic marketing platforms that connect regional contract finishing operations and independent producers to plant demand schedules. This digital procurement system allows for steady supply flow and scheduling efficiency across multiple facilities.

Processing plants incorporate comprehensive food safety systems, including pathogen intervention technologies, rapid chilling processes, and integrated cold-chain management. USDA inspection is embedded throughout the harvest and fabrication stages to ensure regulatory compliance and product integrity. Finished pork products — from bulk primals to retail-ready packaged cuts — are distributed through coordinated logistics networks serving domestic and export markets.