Biosecurity keeps Wes’s hens healthy
A MAUDE egg farmer has sent assurances to the community his organisation is taking steps to avoid the threat of salmonella contamination.
Wes Humpage said each of the 1.2 million eggs produced each year at his Wes Eggs farm was sterilised and washed before they were taken to market or delivered to homes.
“It’s not through luck we don’t have issues, it’s due to good management,” Mr Humpage said.
The assurance comes amid concerns about salmonella contamination at an egg farm outside Bendigo which supplies Coles, Woolworths and other retailers across Victoria and three other states.
“We don’t (usually) have this particular strain of salmonella in Victoria, that’s why the authorities are concerned about it,” he said.
Mr Humpage said hens were given a large area to roam at his Maude farm to prevent the spread of disease.
He said large sheds for his chicken were constantly moved to prevent a build up of bird droppings.
He said a strict biosecurity policy, including testing each new bird that came on to his site for salmonella, and keeping birds of similar ages separate was aimed at keeping his eggs safe for human consumption.
Mr Humpage, who has about 4500 chicken at his 12ha farm, said the chicken per hectare count was well below other farms.
He said his farm had fewer than 400 per hectare.
Earlier this week five cases of people with salmonella were linked to people eating eggs from Bridgewater Poultry outside Bendigo.
Health authorities have urged people with potentially affected eggs to return them for a refund or bin them and not put them in the compost or garden.
Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton urged people to check for eggs produced by Bridgewater Poultry.
Affected items fall under the best before dates of March: 19, 20, 23, 27 and 30. April: 3, 6, 10, 14, 17, 17, 20, 24, 27.
Symptoms of salmonella include fever, headache, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting.
Symptoms begin to appear between six and 72 hours after the contaminated food is eaten and usually last for up to seven days.