Contact: Donna Gilson 608-224-5130 donna.gilson@wi.gov
Jim Dick, Communications Director, 608-224-5020 james.dick@wi.gov
MADISON – Egg producers with more than 3,000 laying hens can learn about new egg safety and inspection requirements at a meeting Thursday, March 1, in Mauston.
The meeting will run 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Best Western Park Oasis Inn, W5641 Hwy. 82 East, Mauston. The meeting is free and there is no need to preregister. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration organized the meeting.
Beginning in July, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will require egg producers with 3,000 or more laying hens to take steps to prevent contamination by Salmonella enteritidis, or SE, which can cause human illness. This is the second phase of the new regulations; producers with 50,000 or more birds came under inspection in July 2011.
The requirements include biosecurity measures to prevent introduction of pathogens, as well as requirements for pest control, cleaning and disinfection, refrigeration, and overall SE prevention plans. Egg laying facilities have not previously been inspected, although egg packing facilities are inspected.
Gerardo Ramirez, representing the FDA, will discuss:
* Contents of the new rule
* Guidance documents
* What happens during an inspection
* What constitutes a “significant deviation”
* Potential outcomes of inspections
* Special requirements for organic producers
For more information about the meeting, producers can contact Terri Wenger, chief of grading, labeling and evaluation in the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection’s Food Safety Division, 608-224-4714.
