Hogs From Quarantined Farm Traced To 4 Facilities
US - Investigators have traced hogs that may have eaten poisoned pet food to at least four meat vendors in Northern California, state agriculture officials said.
24 April 2007
2 minute read
State officials accounted for pigs from The American Hog Farm in Ceres at two of the facilities before they could be sold, but were still trying to account for numerous hogs at a slaughterhouse in Half Moon Bay called Bar None, the California Department of Food and Agriculture reported Sunday.
A fourth facility did not have animals that were exposed to melamine, the chemical believed to be responsible for poisoning dogs and cats recently across the country.
The state imposed a quarantine on the Ceres farm last week after records from Diamond Pet Food's Lathrop facility showed it sold salvage pet food contaminated with melamine to the farm for pig feed earlier this month.
Tests of seven urine samples and two feed samples at American Hog Farm all tested positive for the chemical, said state veterinarian Richard Breitmeyer.
State officials said they don't know for sure if the animals at the Half Moon Bay slaughterhouse were exposed to the contaminated feed. Some customers who bought hogs there have been difficult to track down, the state said.
Health officials recommended that customers who bought American Hog Farm pork not eat the meat, though they consider the risks to be minimal.
Source: San Diego Union Tribune
A fourth facility did not have animals that were exposed to melamine, the chemical believed to be responsible for poisoning dogs and cats recently across the country.
The state imposed a quarantine on the Ceres farm last week after records from Diamond Pet Food's Lathrop facility showed it sold salvage pet food contaminated with melamine to the farm for pig feed earlier this month.
Tests of seven urine samples and two feed samples at American Hog Farm all tested positive for the chemical, said state veterinarian Richard Breitmeyer.
State officials said they don't know for sure if the animals at the Half Moon Bay slaughterhouse were exposed to the contaminated feed. Some customers who bought hogs there have been difficult to track down, the state said.
Health officials recommended that customers who bought American Hog Farm pork not eat the meat, though they consider the risks to be minimal.
Source: San Diego Union Tribune
