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FRANKFORT, Ky. — Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer praised the House Agriculture and Small Business Committee for passing legislation that would require large egg distributors to develop plans for emergency recalls of eggs that are found to be contaminated.
“I am grateful to the committee for its swift and unanimous passage of this bill,” Commissioner Farmer said. “This bill would make the Department and the egg industry better able to get bad eggs off store shelves in a timely fashion. We believe this legislation is vital to the Department’s role as a consumer protection and service agency.”
The bill now goes before the full Kentucky House of Representatives.
House Bill 442 requires egg packers and distributors to submit plans to the KDA for carrying out emergency recalls of eggs and egg products. A business that fails to submit an emergency recall plan by June 30 of each year would have its egg distribution license suspended or revoked and would be prohibited from selling products.
The measure does not apply to egg producers that sell fewer than 60 dozen eggs per week or those that sell eggs in farmers’ markets directly to the public.
The Department discovered contaminated eggs during a routine inspection in February 2005. Eggs in the same lot with the contaminated eggs were on store shelves as far west as Louisville and as far east as Ashland. They originated from an Ohio packing plant.
House Bill 442 is sponsored by Rep. Adrian Arnold, D-Mount Sterling.
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