A couple who laced pig feed with clenbuterol was sentenced to a decade in jail in Conghua, Guangdong province, Yangcheng Evening News reported.

The wife surnamed Chen and her husband surnamed Jiang, who operated a pig farm in Conghua, were convicted of producing and selling poisonous food.

Chen and Jiang were detained in August when local authorities found clenbuterol, also known as lean meat powder, in their pig feed in a surprise inspection at their pig farm.

After the couple was detained, they confessed that they had used clenbuterol to feed 500 pigs to produce leaner meat in the farm.

All of the swine, estimated to be worth 987,200 yuan ($160,500) were later destroyed.

Contact the writer at zhengcaixiong@chinadaily.com.cn