"DeCoster told the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on oversight and investigations that he erred by trying to run his massive complex of 107 barns on 66 acres as if it were a small business, without employing sophisticated technology to combat salmonella contamination." He also told the committee that his company had changed and that it was using "modern techniques before the salmonella outbreak, which began in May and has sickened at least 1,600 people across the country."
"Orland Bethel, the president of Hillandale Farms, a related operation also implicated in the outbreak refused to answer questions, citing his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Hillandale released a statement saying it has severed its relationship with Wright County Egg, which owned one of its two facilities and had been providing it with chicken feed."
To read the Washington Post story, click here.
To read the full testimony of witnesses at the hearing, click here.
Posted: 09/23/2010
