Federal judge enters consent decree against Minnesota dairy farm for drug residue violations

	U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright for the District of Minnesota entered a consent decree of permanent injunction against Todd & Patty Meech Dairy Farm of Sebeka, Minn., and the farm’s owners, Todd Meech and Patty Meech, for introducing adulterated meat into interstate commerce and for failing to comply with federal requirements for administering drugs to food-producing animals. The consent decree prohibits the defendants from delivering animals and meat from the animals into the food supply, and from administering animal drugs to their animals, unless they meet certain requirements. These requirements include, but are not limited to, establishing and implementing systems that prevent the sale or distribution of any animals whose edible tissues contain animal drugs in amounts above the levels permitted by law, and having systems in place for establishing and maintaining better drug inventory and animal identification records. The FDA must also inspect and certify in writing that Meech Dairy Farm is in compliance with all applicable regulations before it can resume business operations related to meat production. The permanent injunction, however, does not prohibit the farm from selling milk since there was no evidence that the farm’s milk was adulterated.