Non-Hormone treated cattle programme
The Non-Hormone Treated Cattle (NHTC) Program has been in effect since 1999, when the European Union (EU) and the U.S. agreed to control measures to facilitate the trade of non-hormone treated beef, including veal.
There are three principal components of this Program:
- Cattle are to be grown in approved farms/feedlots and delivered to the slaughter establishment with shipping documentation that includes the statement “Cattle Meet EV Program Requirements for the EU” and clearly identifies the animals and the quantity
- All cattle must be slaughtered and processed in a federally inspected establishment approved for production of products destined for the EU
- Non-Hormone treated cattle and beef are segregated at the slaughter establishment and handled in a fashion that ensures that they are not commingled with other animals or meat
- Tissue samples from non-hormone treated cattle are collected at slaughter and analyzed in order for FSIS to provide export certification for this product
- Each establishment must have a written program and procedures in place that will assure the production and shipment of product derived from animals that have never been administered hormonal growth promotants
In order for FSIS to provide export certification for product:
- All farms, ranches, and feedlots approved under these programs and that raise beef destined for shipment to the European Union (EU) as non-hormone treated cattle must be listed on the FSIS PartnerShare website
- There must be verification that there are effective controls at the slaughter establishment
