Number 85 - To see a tree asmiling.

August 30, 2010
Egg Farms Violated Safety Rules
By WILLIAM NEUMAN
Barns infested with flies, maggots and scurrying rodents, and overflowing manure pits were among the widespread food safety problems that federal inspectors found at a group of Iowa egg farms at the heart of a nationwide recall and salmonella outbreak.

Inspection reports released by the Food and Drug Administration on Monday described — often in nose-pinching detail — possible ways that salmonella could have been spread undetected through the vast complexes of two companies.

The inspections, conducted over the last three weeks, were the first to check compliance by large egg-producing companies with new federal egg safety rules that were written well before the current outbreak, but went into effect only last month.

“Clearly the observations here reflect significant deviations from what’s expected,” said Michael R. Taylor, deputy commissioner for food for the F.D.A.

Mr. Taylor said that in response to the outbreak and recall, F.D.A. inspectors would visit all of the 600 major egg-producing facilities in the country over the next 15 months. Those farms, with 50,000 or more hens each, represent about 80 percent of nationwide egg production.

The recall, which began Aug. 13, involves more than half a billion eggs from the Iowa operations of two leading egg producers, Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms. About 1,500 reported cases of Salmonella enteritidis have been linked to tainted eggs since the spring — the largest known outbreak associated with that strain of salmonella.

The F.D.A. inspection reports portray areas of filth and poor sanitation at both operations, including many instances of rodents, wild birds or hens escaped from cages — all of which can carry salmonella — appearing to have had free run of the facilities.

It was difficult to gauge from the report how extensive the problems were. Both companies operate vast facilities housing seven million hens. Wright County Egg says inspectors visited 73 barns on its five egg farms.

Both companies said that they had acted quickly to correct problems and were continuing to cooperate with regulators. The reports cited numerous instances in which both companies had failed to follow through on basic measures meant to keep chickens from becoming infected with salmonella, which can cause them to lay eggs containing the bacteria.

“That is not good management, bottom line,” said Kenneth E. Anderson, a professor of poultry science at North Carolina State University. “I am surprised that an operation was being operated in that manner in this day and age.”

Inspection visits to Wright County Egg found barns with abundant rodent holes and gaps in doors, siding and foundations where rodents could enter. Inspectors spotted mice scampering about 11 laying houses.

Inspectors said that many of the barns lacked separate entrances, so that workers had to walk through one barn to get into another — conditions that could allow workers to track bacteria between barns. In addition, workers were seen moving from barn to barn without changing protective clothing or cleaning tools.

The report on Wright County Egg also described pits beneath laying houses where chicken manure was piled four to eight feet high. It also described hens that had escaped from laying cages tracking through the manure.

Officials last week said that they were taking a close look at a feed mill operated by Wright County Egg, after tests found salmonella in bone meal, a feed ingredient, and in feed given to young birds, known as pullets. The young birds were raised to become laying hens at both Wright County Egg and Hillandale.

The inspection report helped fill in the picture of the feed mill as a potential source of contamination, saying that birds were seen roosting and flying about the facility. (Officials said both wild birds and escaped hens were found at the mill.)

Nesting material was seen in parts of the mill, including the ingredient storage area and an area where trucks were loaded. The report also said that there were numerous holes in bins or other structures open to the outdoors. That included the bin containing meat and bone meal that provided the feed ingredient sample in which salmonella was found.

Officials said last week that they had found traces of salmonella similar to the strain associated with the outbreak in a total of six test samples taken from Wright County Egg facilities. That included the two feed tests and four tests taken from walkways or other areas.

On Monday, officials said for the first time that they had also found salmonella at a Hillandale facility. The bacteria was found in water that had been used to wash eggs.

The inspection report on Hillandale showed many problems similar to those found at Wright County Egg, including hens tracking through manure piles and signs of rodent infestation.

F.D.A. officials said they were not permitted to discuss possible enforcement actions. But, according to Mr. Taylor, the law allows for civil actions like injunctions as well as criminal prosecution.

“We are in the process of analyzing this evidence and considering what enforcement actions would be appropriate,” Mr. Taylor said.

Officials said their investigation was continuing and they were not yet able to say how the salmonella had gotten into the laying operations.

Wright County Egg is owned by Jack DeCoster, who has a long history of environmental, labor and immigration violations at egg operations in Maine, Iowa and elsewhere. The inspection report identified Mr. DeCoster’s son, Peter DeCoster, as the chief operating officer of the Iowa operation.

Both companies have stopped selling shell eggs to consumers from their Iowa facilities and instead are sending all their eggs to breaking plants where they are pasteurized, which kills the bacteria. The eggs would then most likely be sold in liquid form, possibly to food manufacturers.

Symptoms of salmonella include diarrhea, vomiting and stomach cramps. The bacteria is killed by pasteurization or by thoroughly cooking the eggs.

Thanks sue, and hang in there!

A few years ago, i installed tie downs underneath the house (similar to earthquake reinforcement) cause the house doesn't have a cement foundation. Sitting on pier and pile (yikes) the earth thankfully is red dirt and rock, but noticed slight shifting since i purchased the place. Now the county codes demand cement foundations for all new construction (will miracles ever cease)

Had to laugh though cause once the tie downs were in place, the washing machine didn't shake the laundry room any longer (where the infamous tweeked door lives) and the shifting stopped. yeehaw!

Good news!!

Now if the government will cooperate by not allowing Appalachia mining permits...or any mountaintop mining operations to continue...

Hello...how difficult could it be to determine that houseing a kazillion birds on one farm will facilitate disease??? Poor chickens

Man, I agree --- oh, uh, --I meant Girls!!
Stradee, I'm soooo glad you have the door prob fixed. That's a big step forward.
NOW!! What you said about the pier and post structure and the leaning of the house over the years concerns me. What you have said you have done to keep it level is GOOD. Keep it up. That condition is probably what caused the door to scrape the deck.
I saw in a movie the guy tied his house to trees to keep it from falling over!! Oh, well, just a thought.

I will tell you what I did to keep the barn in back of my Mom's house straight. It was leaning about 15 degrees so I used a chain and "come along" to pull it back verticle. THEN I went inside and nailed boards diagonally on the studs to support the structure. It worked and the barn looks great except it's really old. You've all seen pics of it.

Happy house!! Both Stradee and sumac!!!

Oh, sumac, prep for some reallllllly bad rain and wind......... Earl is coming your way...........

And, a happy hello and good day to our on looker - ehBeth.

Another tree asmiling!!!!!

Ya know, i've been looking at the door and finally figured why it leaned over the years. The deck was added after the house was built, so it looks like there were just stairs leading to the door. Could be when opened the pressure placed on the door knob was pushed downward. That's the only thing i can think of, except maybe the door was never plum to begin with, and nobody noticed cause there were steps instead of the deck.

Anyhooo, i'll be happy when the doors removed and repaired.

Yep, pier and pile has it'd drawbacks, but there are houses here well over the 40 year mark and are still standing. How is anyones guess.

There's plenty of crawl space, and since underneath the house is enclosed, as well as the deck (metal lattice) and the front porch is also enclosed at ground level, plus there are rocks for drainage everywhere, the dampness is controlled at three sides of the house. That and keeping the place painted and maintained will give the house a few more years before it cracks like an egg. New roofs on the house and garage with plenty of venting, plus new flashing keeps everything vented at the top level, and also holds in heat during the winter, coolness during the summer.

Laughing...yep, i can see stringing chains from the house to the forest and all the landscaping with Christmas tree lights for deco. First storm and i'll be in Kansas with Toto. Oh no Auntie Em!!!

Sue, finally some good rain!

Baton down the hatches and stay safe.

I wish, but unless Earl jogs a little more to the west before heading north, I only can expect a breeze.

sumac, go ahead and prep for rain and wind........... Yer goonnnaaaa get it.

Then you have to mow the grass. That's what happens down here in NE TX.......!

Warmer today...100 something.

Caryssa's bday party was a blast! Shelby (10th grade H.S) and a straight A student. You should see her Calculus book! Like reading another language.
She wants to study Law and hopes for Stanford after HS graduation.

Slept in today and am about three hours behind...but the drive and visit was worth the 'late'.

Good day y'll, and sue, hope you finally can fill the water tanks for the garden!

Wish I were going to get it, Danon; had to drag the hose around this morning and will be doing it again tomorrow morning. Makes you wonder if you should have a garden around here with all the summertime lack of rain.

Glad you had a good time, Stradee.

All clicked, but nothing interesting to post.

tie downs on a house!

<thud>

They're metal posts (4 to each pier and pile) set to keep the house from shifting. Plus when set in place, they also level.

Surprisingly, they work!!!!!!!!!!

sue, the water district raised the rates, and i'm asking "Do I really need a lawn"?

If it isn't one thing, you can bet there's something else just around the corner.

sigh

Yeah, in AZ they gravel the front yard and paint it green....... no mowing.......... Great......... I've been giving that serious consideration ------- Big Grin!!!!

Hello all good Wildclickers! Thank you all for contributing. And --- for making another tree asmiling........!!

Luv Ya'll .......

eptember 1, 2010
Cleaning the Henhouse
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
The latest salmonella outbreak, underscoring the failures of industrial farming, reminds me of the small chicken flock that I tended while growing up on a family farm.

Our chickens wandered freely, and one dawn we were awakened by frantic squawking. We looked out the window to see a fox rushing off with a hen in its mouth.

My father grabbed his .308 rifle and blasted out the window twice in the general direction of the fox. Frightened, it dropped the hen. Yet the hen, astonishingly, was still alive. She picked herself up, spun around dizzily a couple of times, and staggered back to the barn.

A month later, my aunt visited our farm with her Irish setter, Toby, who was always eager to please but a bit dimwitted. We chatted and forgot about Toby — until he bounded up proudly to show a chicken he had retrieved for us.

It was the very same hen that had survived the fox. We shouted, and Toby sadly dropped the bird. She ruffled her feathers, glared at the dog, and then stalked off while clucking indignantly.

Perhaps that hen might have been ready to choose a cage over the perils of canines on the range, and, obviously, my family’s model of chicken-farming was horrendously inefficient and no model for the future. But the other extreme of jamming chickens into small cages is a nightmare for the animals — and the salmonella outbreak underscores that it can be a health hazard to humans as well.

Inspections of Iowa poultry farms linked to the salmonella outbreak have prompted headlines about infestations with maggots and rodents. But the larger truth is: industrial agriculture is itself unhealthy.

Repeated studies have found that cramming hens into small cages results in more eggs with salmonella than in cage-free operations. As a trade journal, World Poultry, acknowledged in May: “salmonella thrives in cage housing.”

Industrial operations — essentially factories of meat and eggs — excel at manufacturing cheap food for the supermarket. But there is evidence that this model is economically viable only because it passes on health costs to the public — in the form of occasional salmonella, antibiotic-resistant diseases, polluted waters, food poisoning and possibly certain cancers. That’s why the president’s cancer panel this year recommended that consumers turn to organic food if possible — a stunning condemnation of our food system.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a study in 2005 suggesting that in 2000 there were about 182,000 cases of egg-caused salmonella in the United States, including 70 deaths. That means that even without an outbreak in the news, eggs with salmonella kill more than one American a week.

“We keep finding excuses to keep this rickety industrial system together when the threat is very clear,” said Robert P. Martin, the executive director of the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production. “It’s really a matter of when, not if, these serious outbreaks occur.”

About 95 percent of American egg-laying hens are still raised in small battery cages, which are bacterial breeding grounds and notoriously difficult to disinfect. Hens are crammed together, each getting less space than a letter-size sheet of paper. The tips of their beaks are often sheared off so they won’t peck each other to death.

They are sometimes fed bits of “spent hen meal” — ground up chickens. That’s right. We encourage them to be cannibals.

Industrial farms also routinely feed animals low doses of antimicrobials because growers think these help animals gain weight. One study found that 70 percent of antibiotics in the United States are used in this way — even though this can lead to antibiotic-resistant infections in humans.

“Food safety has received very little attention since Upton Sinclair,” notes Ellen Silbergeld, an expert on environmental health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health who is deeply concerned about antibiotic overuse. “The massive economic reorganization of agriculture has proceeded with little recognition of its potential impacts on these aspects of food. Cheapness is all.”

But as Professor Silbergeld notes, unsafe foods are cheap only in a shortsighted way. The Pew commission found that industrial production produces hogs that at first sight are cheaper by six cents per pound. Add in pollution and health costs and that industrial pork becomes more expensive by 12 cents per pound.

Largely for humanitarian reasons, Europe already is moving toward a ban on battery cages. In 2008, California approved a similar ban, and other states are expected to follow.

So let’s hope this salmonella outbreak is a wake-up call. Commercial farming can’t return to a time when chickens wandered unfenced and were prey to foxes (and Irish setters). But we can overhaul our agriculture system so that it is both safer and more humane — starting with a move toward cage-free eggs.

•

For Stradee, from today's NYTimes:


SEPTEMBER 1, 2010, 10:18 PM
The High Cost of Eggs

By NICHOLAS KRISTOF
My Thursday column is about the cost of industrial farming practices. I’m thinking not so much the price we pay in the store but the price we pay in pollution, in antibiotic-resistant diseases and in food poisonings such as the salmonella outbreak now in the headlines. It’s not so much eggs that sicken people with salmonella — it’s industrial farming models.

As a kid who grew up on a farm and was very active in the FFA, let me say right off the bat that the problem isn’t the typical farmers. It’s these industrial operations that turn farms into meat factories. For example, United Egg Producers (the egg lobby) says that there are now a dozen companies with more than 5 million laying hens. Those are to the family farm what Wal-Mart is to a Mom-and-Pop store. This kind of intensive concentration is also harmful for rural America, creating a kind of modern feudalism (small number of rich proprietors and large number of much poorer workers) that are the end of small town America.

It’s true that there are problems with all approaches to farming. Even cage-free operations, for example, find that they need to debeak hens because they cluster together. And free range operations in which chickens actually scratch around the grass for food take up vast amounts of space. United Egg Producers calculates that the land for such poultry operations (at 400 birds per acre) would add up to 740,000 acres, an area larger than Rhode Island.

In practice, many producers that call themselves “free range” really aren’t. They may in theory offer birds a fenced run outside, but in practice the barn is structured so that most of the birds never go outside. Or the “free range” may consist of a bit of fenced concrete.

In the old days, salmonella often came from contamination on the outside of the egg. These days, egg washing has improved and that isn’t the problem. The problem is that the hen, who seems healthy, is infected with salmonella in her ovaries, and so the egg has salmonella inside the shell. This is what seems far more common today in industrial egg operations than in traditional farms. The Humane Society of the United States, in an extensive report called “Food Safety and Cage Egg Production,” suggests that in the 1940’s, salmonella sickened only a few hundred Americans a year and that its spread was caused by the rise of industrial farming. The report also suggests that the egg industry’s eradication of salmonella gallinarum (a kind that affects birds but not people) permitted the spread of salmonella enteritidis, the kind that affects humans but not birds — the kind in today’s outbreak.

United Egg Producers will push back of course. It will say that 1 death a week is nothing in a country as big as the United States, and that cheap food is what consumers want. It will argue that moving to cage-free production will significantly add to costs. In fact, the industry’s own estimate is that cage-free adds about 11.5 cents per dozen to costs, or a bit less than a penny per egg. My hunch is that that’s a price worth paying, especially if it means less salmonella. In fact, the industry has pushed back at other safety measures, such as vaccination of hens — and that’s why it’s in this mess.

The CDC estimates that 2 percent of consumers eat a salmonella-tainted egg each year, but most don’t get sick because the egg was fully cooked. The industry emphasizes, rightly, that consumers have to be educated to cook eggs thoroughly, and to wash hands after they have touched raw eggs. True. But as the Humane Society notes, Patricia Griffin of CDC offered the best retort to this blame-the-victim approach in the context of e. coli. She asked: “Is it reasonable that if a consumer undercooks a hamburger…their three-year-old dies?”

I welcome your comments

Danon,

I saw a news flash the other day that MS is particularly active during warm weather.

Yes sumac, you are right....... It only takes ONE degree to make a difference in the condition of a person with MS........ It's a damn bad thing to have.....

nahhhhhhhh you don't need a lawn

I got rid of mine about 13 - 14 years ago

put in native perennials, and put in a little mulch/stone walkway through the little forest I created

if Cleo needs to roll in grass, she can go to the neighbours