FDA report finds rodent infestation at farm which recalled over 200 million eggs
An inspection from the US Food and Drug Asministration finds unsanitry conidtions, rodent infestation at farm responsible for recall of more than 200 million eggs
23 April 2018
2 minute read
By: Rose Acre Farms, a large egg producer in North Carolina that houses 3 million laying hens, voluntarily recalled over 200 million eggs which had reached several states and been exported to Hong Kong over Salmonella contamination with 23 reported cases of illness.
A US FDA inspection has been released which shows that "unacceptable rodent activity within a poultry house" was present and "appropriate methods were not used to achieve satisfactory rodent control." The report notes that this infestation had been ongoing since September 2017.
The inspection also found "unsanitary conditions and poor employee practices" in the facility, which included poor sanitations practices in the egg processing facility and bad hygiene on the part of employees. Conditions in the facility included "condensation dripping from the ceiling, pipes, and down walls, onto production equipment and pooling on floors."
Employees were found to be handling eggs after having been observed touching their faces, hair, intergluteal clefts, unsanitary equipment and other trash items without washing their hands before touching the shell eggs and without wearing gloves.
Rose Acre Farms urges "everyone to wait until all the facts are presented" before drawing assumptions about their operation, reports the Wall Street Journal.
Ryan Johnson
Ryan worked in conservation from 2008 to 2017, during which time he operated a rainbow trout hatchery and helped to maintain public and protected green spaces in Canada for the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. As editor of The Poultry Site, he now writes about challenges and opportunities in agriculture across the globe.
