US cattle deaths prompt investigation, feed cube recall

Purina announced​​ the “voluntary market withdrawal”​ of the product at the end of last week saying it was potentially associated with several cattle deaths.

The Minnesota-based company, operated by Land O’Lakes, is working with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to investigate the cause of cattle illness and death, said a spokesperson with Purina.

A specific cause for the cattle deaths has yet to be found, said the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. However, the deaths may be connected to feed.

A specific lot of Producer’s Pride has been recalled, the department said. The All Natural Cattle Cube, lot 8DEC22MUL2 was distributed through 40 Tractor Supply Company stores in both Florida and southern Georgia.

“Tractor Supply Company locations that sold the feed have been contacted and told to immediately quarantine any remaining recalled product and notify customers who purchased the product, advising them to stop using it,”​ a Purina spokesperson told FeedNavigator.

“Animal wellbeing is Purina Animal Nutrition's top priority, and we will continue to work closely with Tractor Supply Company and the State of Florida during the course of is investigation​,”​ she added.

Recall overview​

Multiple “acute”​ deaths in cattle were reported last week and are now being investigated​​ by the Florida Division of Agricultural Environmental Services and the Division of Animal Industry, said the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Regional veterinarians and law enforcement agencies also are involved in the review, the department said.

Purina produced about 1,500 bags of the cattle cubes on December 22, which were sold through Tractor Supply Company, Purina said. The lot number is located in the sewing strip of each bag.

Tractor Supply Company voluntarily removed the cattle feed product from its stores in multiple areas across Florida and a store in Georgia, the department said. Purina also started to voluntarily remove the product from the market.  

Affected store locations include “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 [Georgia],​” the department reported.

Producers who purchased the feed product are encouraged to discard the feed cubes or return the product for a refund or alternative product, the department said.

Producers or veterinarians who have knowledge of sudden or unexplained deaths in cattle are encouraged to contact the Florida State Veterinarian’s Office at 850-410-0900.

Recent recall recap​

Purina is not the only company to see a feed recall in recent months.

Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) has recently faced two product recalls.

In December, ADM recalled a selection of cattle feed products generated at a manufacturing facility in Columbus, Nebraska following a systems malfunction.  

Additionally, the company had an issue with a set of feed tubs during the summer.