Livestock, horses, and poultry exposed to aflatoxin are at risk of exposure to several health hazards. | Photo: Erica Larson/The Horse

Cargill’s animal nutrition business is conducting a voluntary recall of select Southern States feed due to aflatoxin levels that exceed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) action levels.

Livestock, horses, and poultry exposed to aflatoxin are at risk of exposure to several health hazards. Aflatoxicosis has the same acute and chronic adverse effects and health consequences across all species and age classes (immature and mature). Immature animals are more sensitive to aflatoxins.  Acute aflatoxicosis can result in generalized hemorrhage, bloody diarrhea, and death in one to three days. In addition, aflatoxin toxicity can cause reduced feed intake, reduced weight gain, liver damage, jaundice, and eventually death.

No adverse health effects to animals have been reported to date. The affected products were manufactured at Cargill’s Cleveland, North Carolina, facility. Cargill first learned of the issue when it received a notification from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture of test results showing that a single lot of a specific Southern States product contained elevated levels of aflatoxin. Cargill has identified and corrected the root cause