Sulphur Springs Dairy Auction, Inc. – FDA Warning Letter, Feb 2, 2012

On January 19, 23, and February 2, 2012, the FDA inspected Sulphur Springs Dairy Auction, Inc. in Sulphur Springs, Texas, and found violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The facility offered an adulterated animal for slaughter as food.

Specifically, on October 6, 2011, a calf sold by Sulphur Springs Dairy Auction, Inc. was found to have tulathromycin in kidney tissue at 0.273 ppm and sulfamethazine in liver tissue at 0.154 ppm and muscle tissue at 0.154 ppm. While tulathromycin has a tolerance of 5.5 ppm in uncooked edible cattle tissues, this tolerance does not apply to veal calves. Sulfamethazine has a tolerance of 0.1 ppm. The presence of these drugs above established tolerances or in tissues where no tolerance applies renders the food adulterated under section 402(a)(2)(C)(ii) of the FD&C Act.

Additionally, the facility holds animals under insanitary conditions, lacking a system to ensure animals sold for slaughter have not been medicated or to enforce appropriate withdrawal periods, leading to potentially harmful drug residues entering the food supply. This constitutes adulteration under section 402(a)(4) of the FD&C Act.

Sulphur Springs Dairy Auction, Inc. must take prompt action to