Judge fines Kentucky cattle wholesaler $25K

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — A federal judge has fined a London cattle wholesaler $25,000 after federal officials said questions were raised about unsafe antibiotic residue in the beef.

The Lexington Herald-Leader (http://bit.ly/1pSU24n ) said Williams Cattle Co. agreed in an earlier case to take steps to try to prevent the problem. A federal grand jury last year accused the company of giving false information to food-safety regulators under the agreement. Charges against the company treasurer were dismissed.

The total fine was $75,000, but the company’s lawyer, David S. Hoskins, said U.S. District Judge Amul Thapar suspended $50,000 of that for two years. A prosecutor had sought a $100,000 fine.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration alleged in 2006 that the company sold cows with unsafe levels of residue from antibiotics in their tissue.

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Information from: Lexington Herald-Leader, http://www.kentucky.com

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