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U.S. marshals have seized horse and livestock feed stored under "filthy" conditions at the Bi-County Farm Bureau Cooperative Association Inc. in Florence, Ky., according to a statement released by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Bi-County manufactures feed and stores commercial feeds.
"The FDA will not tolerate a company's failure to adequately control and prevent filth in its facility," said Michael Chappell, the FDA's acting associate commissioner for regulatory affairs. "The FDA is prepared to use whatever legal means are necessary and appropriate to keep potentially contaminated products out of the marketplace."
The seized products violate the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act because they were kept in conditions in which they may have become contaminated.
During a recent inspection of the Bi-County feed mill, FDA investigators discovered live and dead mice and evidence of bird activity throughout the facility. FDA laboratory analysis of samples collected during the inspection confirmed the presence of rodent urine, feces, and hairs in and around food products, as well as rodent-gnawed holes in bags.
Acting on a warrant issued by the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Kentucky, the marshals seized all FDA-regulated food products exposed to rodent and bird contamination at the facility.
See the FDA statement for a list of products included in the seizure.
If you purchased a listed feed product from Bi-County, discard it--do not give it to animals. The FDA also recommends thorough handwashing after handling these products.