China-15 Pig Farmers arrested.

Fifteen people in China’s southern province of Guangzhou were arrested for selling pigs that had been fed banned chemicals to make their meat leaner, state media reported.

The pigs had been fed ractopamine and clenbuterol. The investigation was initiated after 70 cases of clenbuterol poisoning were reported in Guangzhou in the past month, officials from the People’s Procuratorate of Guangzhou City said.

Ractopamine and clenbuterol help pigs produce leaner pork, but are banned in China because of health risks to humans.

Ractopamine is commonly used by pig breeders in the United States, so meat sold into China has to come from farms and breeders where the chemical is not used. Chinese customs has on occasion halted shipments of pork imports because of tainted ractopamine.

The 15, who were arrested in the suburbs of Guangzhou, would face charges involving the production and marketing of substandard, toxic and harmful food, which carry prison terms of up to five years.