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CCTV Does Investigative Show

China’s agriculture ministry said on Monday (March 15) it will investigate the use of banned substance clenbuterol by sheep farmers, after state television revealed that the meat yield-boosting drug was being used in a major sheep production region.

In an annual consumer rights show, China Central Television (CCTV) on Monday evening showed mutton traders selling carcasses by the roadside in Qingxian county in northern Hebei province, as they reportedly had not cleared inspections.

It also showed farmers talking about using clenbuterol to improve their profits. One said he had been using it for around 10 years. Clenbuterol is used by farmers to increase lean meat production in animals but is banned in many countries including China for its risks to human health.