California Feed Plant to Pay $2.4 Million for Poisoning Horses

Feed time for horses.
Feed time for horses. Smerikal

Newsdate: Tuesday, October 30, 2018, 11:00 am
Location: FRESNO, California

In September 2015, Western Milling located in Goshen, California, produced horse feed that was adulterated with Monensin, a livestock drug that when fed to horses is known to be fatal. The contaminated feed killed 21 horses at Black Fence Farms in Clovis, California. Another 28 fell ill.

Horse eating from feed pan.

Horse eating from feed pan

Western Milling will pay $2.4 million to settle a lawsuit for selling tainted feed that killed or severely injured 49 horses in Clovis, California.
© 2017 by Sari ONeal

In 2016 the same facility improperly mixed the same livestock drug into medicated cattle feed, which contributed to the deaths of several dairy calves.

On October 29, 2018, it was announced that Western Milling will pay $2.4 million to settle the Fresno Superior Court lawsuit for selling the tainted feed that killed or severely injured 49 horses at a horse ranch in Clovis, California. The lawsuit said that federal regulators previously had found that company feed samples contained "impermissibly high" levels of monensin, an antibiotic used to kill parasites and promote weight gain. It's used in cattle and poultry feed but is highly toxic to horses.

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.

About the Author

Flossie Sellers

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As an animal lover since childhood, Flossie was delighted when Mark, the CEO and developer of EquiMed asked her to join his team of contributors.

She enrolled in My Horse University at Michigan State and completed a number of courses in everything related to horse health, nutrition, diseases and conditions, medications, hoof and dental care, barn safety, and first aid.

Staying up-to-date on the latest developments in horse care and equine health is now a habit, and she enjoys sharing a wealth of information with horse owners everywhere.

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