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Egg producer optimistic about recall ending

The egg producer impacted by a recent salmonella recall is optimistic he can begin shipping to customers soon. 

Milo Bontrager operates Milo’s Poultry Farms near Bonduel, Wisconsin, and packages his eggs and eggs from other producers for his brand, Tony’s Fresh Market, Happy Quackers Farm, and M & E Family Farms.  Bontrager tells Brownfield he’s not sure what the source of the salmonella was, but he’s stepped-up biosecurity efforts to prevent future problems. “Now, we have barrier controls. The doors that go from the outside into the processing area will be emergency-only exit doors. We have the employees coming in through a different entrance, and now, no one can get into the plant without the proper shoe covering and the proper clothes .”

The voluntary recall of his eggs began September 6^th, and Bontrager says he is working with a consultant to resume operations. “It looks like we’re getting close to the end where we might be able to get back into production in another week or two, but we have not had any firm dates from the state or the FDA as far as when they’re going to let us start.”

Bontrager says the temporary loss of the fresh egg market has been costly. “We have about 22 or 23 other farms helping us produce eggs, so I wanted to keep my committment to keep taking their eggs, and yet as long as we don’t have the go-ahead to process eggs here, we have to do something with them, so they have to go to the breaker market.” And that market pays around 30% less for eggs broken out of the shell and sold in liquid form for food industry ingredients.  Based on USDA egg market figures, Bontrager’s sales are down more than $90,000 every day he cannot sell eggs in the shell.

Bontrager says his operation is small compared to most producers.  When his business is operating normally, they package about twelve thousand dozen eggs a day for customers in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois.

AUDIO: Milo Bontrager discusses his experience working through a voluntary egg recall after salmanella was found on his farm.