SETTLEMENT REACHED BETWEEN CDFA AND ANIMAL FEED MANUFACTURER

SACRAMENTO, May 2, 2017 — The California Department of Food and Agriculture Feed and Livestock Drugs Inspection Program has reached a settlement with animal feed manufacturer Western Milling LLC involving their manufacturing facility in Goshen, Tulare County. In September 2015, the facility produced horse feed that was adulterated with Monensin, a livestock drug that when fed to horses is known to be fatal. The adulterated feed resulted in a number of deaths. In 2016 the same facility improperly mixed the same livestock drug into medicated cattle feed, which contributed to the deaths of several dairy calves. 

Per the settlement agreement, Western Milling has discontinued the manufacturing of horse and specialty feeds for species such as rabbits at the Goshen facility. The firm will implement extensive process improvements and acquire new state-of-the-art equipment for precision mixing and improved documentation, product identification, and traceability in the handling of medicated feeds. 

Western Milling will pay a cash fine of $526,500 and is required to implement $200,000 of new equipment in the Goshen facility to ensure that feed safety measures over and above industry standards will be met.

CDFA’s Feed and Livestock Drugs Inspection Program is responsible for the enforcement of the state law and regulations pertinent to the manufacturing, distribution, and labeling of commercial livestock feed in California while preventing adulterated feed from being consumed by livestock. The program maintains registration of livestock drugs, their proper use and safe handling procedures, and issues Restricted Livestock Drug Licenses to retail stores selling restricted livestock drugs in California.

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