Reporter: THE BIRD FLU IS A BIG BURDEN FOR FARMERS LIKE LEE HUDSON.
Lee Hudson, owner of Hudson Egg Farms: “If you get it on the farm, you have to de-populate the whole farm.”
Reporter: IN BUSINESS SINCE THE 19-40S, THE FARM’S EGGS -A GO-TO FOR MAY NEW YORK SHOPPERS – ARE PRODUCED BY HUDSON’S QUARTER OF A MILLION HENS. NATIONWIDE, 200 TIMES THAT NUMBER – 50 MILLION HENS – ARE INFECTED, MEANING FARMERS LIKE HUDSON MUST TAKE THE BIRD FLU VERY SERIOUSLY.
Hudson: “We’re just trying to watch out who’s on the farm. Our workers take the most bio-secure going into the barns. Only certain employees are around where the chickens are, and we’re just trying to keep things very tight.”
Reporter: “From the farm, to the store, to now the refrigerator. Hudson says farmers believe safety is the number 1 priority.”
Marty Raussum, employee at Hudson Egg farms: “Sanitation matts at all the doors, spraying down the trucks and anybody who comes here to pick up eggs they have to have their trucks washed.”
Reporter: THE FACILITY SENDS OUT 18 TO 20-THOUSAND DOZEN EGGS PER DAY.
THE EGGS ARE WEIGHED, CLEANED, CHECKED, AND EVENTUALLY BOXED. WATCHED CLOSELY, ANY SUSPICIOUS EGGS ARE DISPOSED OF. THE HOURS OF WORK EMPLOYEES PUT IN MAKE THE OPERATION A FINE-TUNED MACHINE. ONE THAT MARTY RAUSSUM SAYS, HOPEFULLY THE BIRD FLU DOESN’T PUT TO A SCREECHING HALT.
Raussum: “Just…hoping we don’t get it.”
Reporter: Michael Emami, NCC News, Elbridge
ELBRIDGE, N.Y. (NCC News) — The bird flu has caused a tremendous rise in egg prices all across the US, but consumers aren’t the only ones affected.
Lee Hudson, owner of Hudson Egg Farms, owns 250,000 laying hens. Hudson said if one hen is infected, it could cause a major cease in operation.
“If you get it on the farm, you have to de-populate the whole farm,” Hudson said.
50 million hens have been infected with the virus across the U.S., around 200 times the number of hens Hudson has on the farm. With the annual spring migration of birds set to take place in a few short months, Hudson fears the virus could return.
“We’re concerned heading back into the spring,” said Hudson.
“Wild birds will start migrating back north into Canada and this whole cycle can start all over again,” Hudson said.
With the facility sending out 18 to 20 thousand dozen eggs daily, Marty Raussum, an employee of the farm, said proper precautions must be taken.
“We’ve got sanitation matts at all doors. Anyone who comes here to pick up eggs will also need to have their trucks washed,” Raussum said.
The eggs are also checked in the facility for any suspicious marks or cracks. Workers closely monitor the machines in looking for any signs of problematic eggs that maybe sent out to avoid any potential problems for the consumer.
Raussum and Hudson both agree that they have a finetuned and efficient daily operation, one that the bird flu doesn’t put to a stop.
