Free-range chickens at Caledonia Farm
David Petrovick talks about his free-range chickens at Caledonia Farm in Barre.
Local egg producers say the recent salmonella scare is a byproduct of the country's industrialized food production system.
Julie Rawson of the Many Hands Organic Farm on Sheldon Road, Barre, said the farm produces about three dozen eggs a day and has for more than 25 years.
“We sell what we don't need for ourselves, and we also raise free-range chickens for meat,” she said.
Ms. Rawson said the recall of a half-billion eggs for suspected salmonella enteritidis contamination points to the hazards of raising chickens in factory-like conditions.
“This is a perfect example of the country's industrialized food system gone awry. The problem is that for local farmers, say, who raise free-range chickens and feed them organic grain as we do, the production costs are just too high,” she said.
“People ultimately get what they pay for, and if they want to buy cheap food high in refined sugar, flour, salt and high-fructose corn syrup, there's a good chance they'll pay an even higher price later in health care costs,” Ms. Rawson said.
Meanwhile, The Country Hen, 16 Williamsville Road, Hubbardston, is complying with new Food and Drug Administration rules in the wake of the salmonella recall in Iowa, but general manager Bob Beauregard is quick to point out the farm has never tested positive for salmonella enteritidis.
A major Massachusetts egg producer, The Country Hen did $6 million in business last year and distributed upward of 25 million eggs to supermarkets and groceries in New England and along the East Coast, according to Mr. Beauregard.
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