The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Legislators taking a closer look after thousands of chickens killed in fire
As investigators sift through the ashes of a Connecticut hen barn after a weekend fire, legislators are weighing whether to follow the lead of several other states and mandate “cage-free” principles at egg farms.
Hillandale Farms estimated about 100,000 chickens died in a Jan. 28 fire at its Bozrah egg farm, which were housed in one of several massive coops measuring nearly two football fields in length. It was the second such incident in the past seven years for Hillandale Farms, after a 2016 barn fire in Lebanon killed between 80,000 and 100,000 birds.
Chickens are by far the most vulnerable livestock when it comes to fires, according to the Animal Welfare Institute. The advocacy group estimates that over five years through 2018, chickens accounted for 94 percent of all animal deaths due to fire.
After setting up a 2021 commission to look into the issue of farm fires, the United Egg Producers made several recommendations including for farms to meet regularly with local fire department staff to share information; maintain good “housekeeping” with an eye on any possible combustible materials; and consider the installation of fire sprinklers, infrared sensors and other systems to detect and extinguish fires.
Hillandale did not respond to a request for comment on steps it has taken to address fire safety and preparation at its farms in Connecticut and nationally. The company pledged in 2016 to transition to cage-free principles at its Connecticut farms, but state Rep. David Michel, D-146, said last week that he believes Hillandale has fallen short on its promise and responsibilities.
Michel’s proposed bill in the Connecticut General Assembly would prohibit the use of “battery” cages arranged in rows that restrict the movement of chickens. Massachusetts, Rhode Island and California are among several states with laws or regulations on the books limiting or banning the use of battery cages in the egg industry, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
“Battery cages are barbaric and intensely confine mother hens to the point they cannot physically engage in natural behavior which causes mental suffering,” Michel stated in an email.
As of two years ago, about seven of every 10 laying hens in the United States were in “conventional” cages according to the United Egg Producers’ most recent estimates.
Hillandale sells eggs in Connecticut and nationally that carry “cage-free” and organic certifications from American Humane and the Global Organic Alliance, according to the company’s website. It lists also an “animal welfare” certification from the United Egg Producers; employees receive ongoing training in animal welfare, according to Hillandale, and it cites an employee code of conduct requires workers to report any instances where they spot observe neglectful conditions at farms.
It is not clear how much more shoppers might pay for eggs if Hillandale and other mass egg producers lose some of the economies of scale they generate today through the use of battery cages. On Instacart Thursday, cage-free eggs sold under Hillandale’s Eggland’s Best brand were selling for 17 percent more than regular Eggland’s Best packages.
A $68.5M buy
Hillandale acquired its Connecticut farms in 2015 as part of its acquisition of the Moark subsidiary of Land O’ Lakes, whose operations included the historic Kofkoff Farms in Connecticut and two more farms in Maine. The year prior to the sale, Kofkoff reported to the state that its Connecticut chicken flocks totaled 4.7 million birds and that it employed some 300 workers.
In a subsequent federal lawsuit filed by Hillandale Moark and Land O’Lakes in 2019, Hillandale disclosed the sale price at $68.5 million for the farms in Connecticut and Maine. Hillandale filed the lawsuit after claiming it discovered there were nearly 600,000 fewer birds at the two Maine farms than documents had indicated that it relied on in calculating a purchase price. Hillandale claimed damages of $6.9 million, with the companies reaching a stipulated settlement in 2020.
According to Bozrah town records, the local Hillandale Farms property has more than a dozen buildings that approximate the dimensions of the barn that burned, which were constructed between 1968 and 1988 with wood frames and metal siding and roofs. Of that group, none were equipped with space heaters or heat pumps that serve other buildings in the complex, according to town records.
The Norwich Bulletin has reported that Hillandale has continued to expand the facility since the Moark deal with modern new facilities for chicks and hens.
The working farm portion in Bozrah totals 34 buildings in all on 184 acres, according to the most recent property records posted by the town of Bozrah, which appraised the Hillandale Farms property at $16.9 million not including additional, unused acreage.
Gov. Ned Lamont visited the Bozrah farm on Wednesday, his second trip in the past year after a tour last summer of Hillandale’s egg production operation. Spokespeople in the governor’s office did not provide immediate details in response to a query on whether the Connecticut Department of Agriculture is planning any independent investigation of the fire and the company’s adherence to regulations.
Rep. Joe Gresko, D-Stratford, told said the Environment Committee he co-chairs in the Connecticut General Assembly might take its own steps, in addition to a hearing on Michel’s bill.
“I’m going to be reaching out to the Department of Agriculture’s commissioner and see if there’s anything that we can do,” Gresko said.
Hillandale Farms was responsive to scrutiny by New York Attorney General Letitia James, after James sued Hillandale in 2020 alleging the company had gouged consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic with price hikes. The company agreed to donate 1.2 million eggs to New York food pantries as part of a settlement — equating to roughly $300,000 by today’s prices if factored against the current wholesale price in the Northeast as surveyed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
‘Let birds be birds’
The poultry and egg industry was already reeling entering this year after a major outbreak of avian flu that resulted in farms culling some 47 million chickens. And individual farms have been hit with fires in Pennsylvania. Minnesota and Mississippi, which coupled with the Connecticut fire have resulted in the deaths of more than a half million additional birds.
According to the most recent “Chicken and Egg” report published in January by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. egg production dropped 6 percent in December from a year earlier, with DOA estimating about 347 million laying hens nationally at that point. On average, hens were producing at a rate of 24 eggs per month in December.
A spokesperson with Stop & Shop, the largest supermarket chain in Connecticut, indicated the eggs it sells in Connecticut under its own label are produced by Hillandale Farms.
“Egg availability and pricing have been impacted by the ongoing avian influenza outbreaks,” stated Stop & Shop spokesperson Maura O’Brien, in an email response to a query. “Stop & Shop is working diligently to ensure that we have egg varieties in stock for our customers, but some types and sizes have been more limited.”
A Stew Leonard’s spokesperson said the company does not buy directly from Hillandale Farms, though it sources Eggland’s Best through another wholesaler.
“We are not feeling the effects right now,” stated Stew Leonard’s spokesperson Meghan Bell. “We already have enough eggs from Eggland’s Best at the store to carry us through the next week or so.”
Farmers are in replacement mode, however, with the number of eggs in incubators up 6 percent last month compared to January 2022. Depending on the month, “table” eggs are produced at a rate of six of seven times the number of hatching eggs for chicks that will be raised as laying hens.
Will those hens live to see the day when they will be guaranteed a “cage-free” life in Connecticut? Michel thinks more shoppers will be casting votes in favor of that day, in the checkout aisle in spending an extra dollar or two for organic eggs.
“This may be one of the reasons why consumers go to their local farmers, who let birds be birds,” Michel said.