Rodents, maggots at egg farms

August 31, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

Food and Drug Administration investigators have found rodents, seeping manure and maggots at the Iowa egg farms believed to be responsible for as many as 1,500 cases of salmonella poisoning.

FDA officials released their initial observations of the investigations at Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms on Monday. The two farms recalled more than half a billion eggs after salmonella illnesses were linked to their products earlier this month.

The reports released by the FDA show many possible sources of contamination at both farms, including rodent, bug and wild-bird infestation, uncontained manure, holes in walls and other problems that could have caused the outbreak. Positive samples of salmonella linked to the outbreak have been found at both farms.

Officials said they still cannot speculate on how the eggs were contaminated. But they said the farms violated not only their own standards but also new egg rules put in place this summer.

Among the observations of the investigators:

Live rodents and mice in laying houses at both farms;

Structural damage and holes in many locations at both farms, allowing wildlife access;

“Live flies too numerous to count” on egg belts, in the feed, on the eggs themselves at Wright County Egg;

Dead and live maggots “too numerous to count” on the manure pit floor in one location at Wright County Egg;

Manure piled 4 to 8 feet high in five locations at Wright County Egg, leaning against and pushing open doors that allowed wildlife to enter the laying houses.