Ramona Egg Ranch Faces Dilemma Over Salmonella Outbreak, Weighing Mass Culling Against Costly Testing
Happy Hens, an egg ranch in Ramona, California, is confronting a significant challenge following a Salmonella outbreak linked to its products by the San Diego County public health department. The outbreak has been associated with 23 cases of illness. Genetic testing reportedly linked the farm to the Salmonella strains found in sick San Diegans, many of whom consumed mayonnaise made with raw eggs from the ranch. FDA inspectors found positive Salmonella samples in two of the ranch's 26 barns. While the county recommended a voluntary recall, Happy Hens initially resisted, stating that only two of its three properties had positive results, and eggs from the unaffected property continued to be sold. However, 75% of their production from the two affected properties has been withheld from the market. The farm, which has approximately 14,000 hens, faces a difficult choice: either cull the 10,000 chickens on the affected properties or undertake extensive and costly egg testing, estimated to exceed $130,000, involvi...
