Why are we here participating in a program on residue avoidance and showring ethics? It maybe because we finally allowed the manipulative practices to enhance the competitive edge of show animals to be carried too far. By allowing or condoning these practices, we have created an

unacceptable behavior pattern for our youth and created a possible danger consumers.

For many years the Houston Livestock Show used established pre-set weight breaks in their market animal shows: steers, lambs and barrows. There was speculation that exhibitors, in their attempt to show an animal at the top of a weight class, were using Lasix to draw an animal's weight before show weigh-in.

In 1980 and 1981, Houston tested market hogs for Lasix. This testing program was carried out by Dr. T.D. Tanksley, the head of the Swine Production Program at Texas A&M University. A show rule was in place that animals would be disqualified if a diuretic was found in the urine. In 1981 Houston disqualified one pig.

In 1982, Houston made several changes in their market animal shows to help control the use of diuretics. These changes were:

1. Utilized minimum weights with no upper weight limits. After animals arrived and were weighed in, they were placed into three specific weight classes (light, medium and heavy). Each class had the same number of animals and there were no pre-published weight breaks.

2. Established a weigh-back rule, weighing all placing animals after showing and allowing five

percent over the original weight in steers allowing a five-pound over or under change in lambs and a 10-pound change in hog weights. Once these rules were in place, Houston stopped testing animals.

In 1983, the Grand Champion Steer in Houston, that had sold for $150,000, was disqualified. The disqualification took place after the steer was sold. The grandfather of the exhibitor called and informed the show that he had seen his grandson with a bicycle pump pumping air under the steer’s skin. He was adamant that he be disqualified. After investigating the situation, Houston found the steer had been cared for by a veterinarian in Oklahoma for several weeks during the feeding period, which was in violation of show rules.

The steer was disqualified for this reason because they could not prove the steer had been aired.