NEW – Largest US fresh egg producer halts production at Texas plant after bird flu found in chickens; about 1.6 million laying hens and 337,000 pullets were culled — NBCDFW
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) April 2, 2024
The largest producer of fresh eggs in the U.S. said Tuesday it had temporarily halted production at a Texas plant after bird flu was found in chickens, and officials said the virus had also been detected at a poultry facility in Michigan.
Ridgeland, Mississippi-based Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. said in a statement that approximately 1.6 million laying hens and 337,000 pullets, about 3.6 per cent of its total flock, were destroyed after the infection, avian influenza, was found at a facility in Parmer County, Texas.
The plant is on the Texas-New Mexico border in the Texas Panhandle about 85 miles (137 kilometres) southwest of Amarillo and about 370 miles (595 kilometres) northwest of Dallas. Cal-Maine said it sells most of its eggs in the Southwestern, Southeastern, Midwestern and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.
Largest US fresh egg producer halts production at Texas plant after bird flu found in chickens. No eggs recalled, officials say public risk is minimal t.co/pkygt7TX6P #texasnews
— NBC DFW (@NBCDFW) April 2, 2024