The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services this week received multiple reports related to acute deaths in cattle. These deaths are being investigated by both the Division of Agricultural Environmental Services and the Division of Animal Industry. Local law enforcement agencies and veterinarians have also been involved in the ongoing investigation.
While the specific cause has not yet been determined, these deaths may be related to feed. The product in question is Producer’s Pride 20% All Natural Cattle Cube, lot number 8DEC22MUL2, manufactured by Purina Animal Nutrition, and distributed to 40 Tractor Supply Company stores in Florida and Georgia at the following locations:
Starke, Fort Pierce, Saint Cloud, Chiefland, Lake Wales, Sebring, Okeechobee, Eustis, Haines City, Newberry, Bradenton, Palatka, Wauchula, Zephyrhills, Deland, Lake City, Orlando, Arcadia, Dunnellon, Fort Myers, Saint Augustine, Live Oak, Jacksonville, Homosassa, Macclenny, Bartow, Perry, Groveland, Gainesville, Cocoa, Osteen, North Fort Myers, Loxahatchee, Crawfordville, Palm Coast, Hudson, Sarasota, Port Charlotte, Riverview, and Kingsland, GA.
Tractor Supply Company has voluntarily removed the product in question from their shelves in all 40 stores. In addition, Purina Animal Nutrition has initiated a voluntary market withdrawal of the affected product. Consumers may discard the product or return it to their retail purchase location for exchange or refund.
A full release from Purina Animal Nutrition follows beneath this release. There are no expected impacts to human health at this time.
Department Action:
The Department has collected product and cattle samples from across the state, and is in the process of conducting laboratory tests. In addition, the Department has conducted on-site verifications at Tractor Supply Company locations, outreach to Purina Animal Nutrition to facilitate the voluntary withdrawal of the affected product, as well as outreach to the agricultural community.
For Veterinarians and Cattle Producers:
Veterinarians or producers who are aware of sudden unexplained deaths in cattle should contact the State Veterinarian’s Office at 850-410-0900 (after hours for emergencies please contact 800-342-5869) or RAD@FreshFromFlorida.com.
For feed-related complaints or concerns, please contact the Bureau of Inspection and Incident Response, Division of Agricultural Environmental Services, at 850-617-7996 or AESCares@FreshFromFlorida.com.
NEWS RELEASE
Purina Animal Nutrition Voluntarily Withdrawing Producer’s Pride 20% Cattle Cubes in 40 Tractor Supply Locations
Purina Animal Nutrition is initiating a voluntary market withdrawal of one lot of Producer’s Pride 20% Cattle Cubes due to cattle mortalities potentially associated with the product. The cause of the cattle mortality is still undetermined, and the investigation is still ongoing.
The affected lot number is:
Formula No. :
30UU
Description:
Producer’s Pride 20% All Natural Cattle Cube
Lot No.:
8DEC22MUL2
Approximately 1,500 bags of the product were manufactured by Purina Animal Nutrition on Dec. 22, 2018 and sold by Tractor Supply Company in 39 stores in Florida and in one store in southern Georgia as follows: Florida: Starke, Fort Pierce, Saint Cloud, Chiefland, Lake Wales, Sebring, Okeechobee, Eustis, Haines City, Newberry, Bradenton, Palatka, Wauchula, Zephyrhills, Deland, Lake City, Orlando, Arcadia, Dunnellon, Fort Myers, Saint Augustine, Live Oak, Jacksonville, Homosassa, Macclenny, Bartow, Perry, Groveland, Gainesville, Cocoa, Osteen, North Fort Myers, Loxahatchee, Crawfordville, Palm Coast, Hudson, Sarasota, Port Charlotte, and Riverview. Additionally, the product was sold in Kingsland, GA.
Customers can find the lot number on the sewing strip of each bag. Tractor Supply previously completed a voluntary “stop sale” and immediately quarantined any remaining product.
Customers who purchased this product are instructed to discard it or return it to their local Tractor Supply store to exchange the product for a like item or refund.
Customers may contact Purina Animal Nutrition’s Customer Service at 800-227-8941 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CST.
Customers with questions may also contact Tractor Supply’s Customer Solution Center at 877-718-6750 as follows: Monday through Saturday 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. CST, and Sunday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. CST.
Source: Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services