US: Cargill recalls select lot of beef cattle feed

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the voluntary recall on Tuesday [February 4]. The Minnesota-based agri-giant said it was recalling a specific lot of its NutreBeef transition pellet (MH) beef feed because the product may have elevated levels of monensin and be mispackaged. The feed product in question was sold in the US in the states of Kansas and Texas, the company reported. The recalled product was generated in November at the company’s facility in McPherson, Kansas and is being collected from retail outlets and distributors working with markets in both Kansas and Texas. The pelleted feed was intended for use with beef cattle and was sold in 50lb bags, the company said. The bagged feed carries the lot code 529316973 on the bottom left corner of the feed label and the product code 80652 on the bottom right corner of the feed label. Cargill is actively working with the FDA on the recall and customers have been notified of the recall, a company spokesperson told us. Corrective measures are being implemented to prevent the issue from being repeated. Cargill discovered the issue with the feed product following a notification from a customer, it reported. At that point, it said it investigated the situation and started recalling the product. Eight animal deaths are reportedly linked to the recalled product. When consumed in large amounts, monensin can be toxic for cattle, according to the recall announcement. The medicated ingredient can produce colic-like symptoms, chronic cardiovascular issues, hypokalemia or low potassium, myoglobinuria or the breakdown of muscle tissue and potentially cause the death of the animal, the company said. Recent feed recalls Cargill is not the only company to face feed product recalls in recent months. Toward the end of 2019, CHS Inc had to recall feeds for swine, rabbits and several poultry species when those products were found to have high levels of magnesium. In September, both Ridley Block Operations and Gramco, Inc removed specific batches of feed from the market. Gramco recalled specific hog grower pellets upon finding that they had a high level of the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol, while Ridley collected a batch of the Ultralyx 24-165 block for cattle on pasture when the product was found to be out of specification and containing high levels of non-protein nitrogen.

US: Cargill recalls select lot of beef cattle feed

High monensin levels are prompting Cargill to recall a selection of its pelleted beef feed sold in Kansas and Texas.

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