If you haven’t visited your local Farmer’s Market already this season then the massive egg recall should be motivation enough to check it out. The latest report out today regarding condition at these farms.
U.S. health investigators on Monday detailed a slew of violations that included the presence of manure pits, rodents and dead flies at two Iowa farms implicated in the recent egg recall due to salmonella infection.
At Wright County Egg, infractions included manure piles seeping into hen houses.
"In some cases, the manure piles were four-to-eight feet high," Elder said.
Rodents and wildlife, including wild birds, also had easy access to poultry houses, and investigators observed "dead flies too numerous to count" and dead flies which were "crushed underfoot" when employees traversed the poultry houses, Elder said.
Dead maggots were even observed in the manure at one farm.
Also, "employees failed to change protective clothing when moving from one house to another," Elder said, and they weren’t sanitizing equipment.
Similar violations were logged at Hillandale, with rodents having convenient entryways into the poultry houses. Standing water was found near manure piles and "uncaged hens were tracking manure from the manure pit into the caged areas," Elder said.
I don’t know about the States laws but we here in Canada can go to a local farm to buy fresh eggs and see just how the chickens are raised or you can just go to your local grocery store and buy them, I am sure that we here also have large industrial farms that raise chickens for eggs also, but I do know that any farm is checked on by the govt. to see that all rules are followed…….. I had seen on our news here about how many million eggs were recalled in the states………
This egg thing makes me really ill.
Elaine, I LOVE your new theme!! It is very clean and fresh!
It’s really sad and gross, isn’t it. These animals are domesticated–we owe them consideration. Instead of using proper stewardship, workers are ruthless and greedy. Farming is turned into a filthy, festering, confined assembly line.
The most stomach-turning factory-farming of all (at least for me) were the Smithfield hog farms in North Carolina (about 4 years ago). Google “Rolling Stone Magazine” and “Boss Hog” and after reading the article you will never want to eat pork again. Since that article came out, Smithfield had been shamed into announcing that they will phase out the ‘gestation crates’ which their artificially impregnated sows are immobilized in for most of their brief lives. However, after all the hoopla, they never went through with it. When I can’t purchase from the farmer’s market, I try to buy eggs/dairy/whatever from more humane, responsible, sustainable companies such as Applegate, Maverick Ranch or Organic Valley.
Years ago, I visited an “egg factory” at a local university. The stench was horrific and the sights equalled the odor. There were dead chickens next to the forced layers and no one seemed to notice. The noise was a deafening hum that sounded more like a heartbreaking, sustaining cry. It was terrible. I’m grateful to use the eggs of my own, I hope, happy chickens.
PS I forgot to mention that I loved the Andrew Jackson quote about banks. It may have been said over 200 years ago, but still so relevant today! Thanks!
Keli´s last [type] ..Stupidity in the Newspaper