Syfrett Feed ordered to halt medicated feed operations

The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida has ordered Syfrett Feed Co. Inc. of Okeechobee, Florida, to halt its medicated feed operations until it can “adequately control its production of medicated animal feeds” and comply with federal law.

BCFC | Bigstockphoto.com
BCFC | Bigstockphoto.com

The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida has ordered Syfrett Feed Co. Inc. of Okeechobee, Florida, to halt its medicated feed operations until it can “adequately control its production of medicated animal feeds” and comply with federal law.

Earlier this year, a civil complaint alleged Syfrett adulterated and misbranded its medicated animal feed in violation of the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA). Syfrett Feed manufactures and distributes medicated and non-medicated feed, primarily for ruminants, poultry, swine and exotic animals. The complaint alleged the defendants adulterated and misbranded animal feeds while such feeds were held for sale. The Justice Department filed the complaint at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

FDA said, over the course of three inspections of the company’s facility in January 2014, June 2015 and June 2016, it documented multiple violations of the current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) regulations for medicated feeds. FDA inspectors found Syfrett Feed failed to:

  • Establish and maintain adequate procedures for the identification, storage and inventory control of drugs intended for use in medicated feeds
  • Establish and use adequate procedures for all equipment used in the production and distribution of medicated feeds to avoid unsafe contamination of medicated and non-medicated feeds
  • Ensure that correct labels are used for all manufactured medicated feeds

FDA issued a warning letter to Syfrett Feed in July 2014, citing the CGMP violations. In 2014, Syfrett Feed informed the FDA that the company had received complaints relating to its horse pellet product and the subsequent euthanasia of 17 horses. The company has since agreed to discontinue the production of the horse feed connected to this incident.

The consent decree prohibits Syfrett Feed from processing, manufacturing, preparing, packing and distributing the medicated animal feed it produces until the defendants hire an expert to ensure that they are following all CGMP regulations in the manufacture of medicated feed and until the FDA provides Syfrett Feed with written permission that they may resume the manufacture and distribution of their medicated feed.

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