Kreider Farms Disputes Authenticity of Humane Society Video

April 16, 2012 — -- The Pennsylvania egg producer featured in a recent ABC News report says undercover video released by the Humane Society and broadcast by ABC News that purports to show animal cruelty and unsanitary conditions at one of its facilities "could have been taped an any chicken house," and that new inspection reports show the company maintains high standards of cleanliness and animal welfare.

Last week, the Humane Society of the U.S. released video that it said had been shot in February and March by an undercover investigator at a Kreider Farms facility in Manheim, Pennsylvania. The footage, aired by ABC News on "World News with Diane Sawyer," showed conditions that the HSUS characterized as "deplorable." The video shows dead birds left in cages with live birds, live birds trapped in cage wires and a floor thick with flies.

Unsanitary conditions in egg farms, especially a large insect or rodent population, can lead to a higher risk for a salmonella outbreak. ABC News has reported before on conditions at egg farms that can lead to public health concerns.

Kreider Farms, which supplies eggs for ShopRite grocery stores and other retailers in the Northeast, questioned the authenticity of the video, saying in a statement that "HSUS's video demonstrates no connection to Kreider Farms -- it could have been taped in any chicken house."

After ABC News provided Kreider Farms with pictures and video from the Humane Society showing workers wearing uniforms with a "Kreider Farms" logo, the company reaffirmed that it believed the video showed "no connection to Kreider Farms," and added: "HSUS's videos are designed to mislead viewers, and consumers should question how they are shot, edited and assembled. The still images and video footage of Kreider Farms workers, released by HSUS, provide no evidence of HSUS's allegations."

Ron Kreider, President and CEO of Kreider Farms, said the company produces a "high quality" and safe product. Kreider, whose family started the company in 1935, says what is depicted in the video is not representative of the company's mission. "Kreider Farms is one of the most highly respected, progressive egg companies in the U.S."

In statements to ABC News, Kreider Farms noted that the Manheim facility is one of its older facilities and that most of its egg production takes place in newer, modernized facilities.

A company spokesperson also pointed to three separate inspections conducted last week, after the company learned of the HSUS video and before the ABC News report aired, that indicate "zero evidence of any type of animal abuse or food safety concern."

Representatives of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture visited the facility on two occasions last week. In a letter to Ron Kreider dated Friday, state Agriculture Secretary George Greig said that a veterinarian for the department determined that sanitation, rodent and insect control were all above minimum standards under an industry program designed to reduce the risk of salmonella.

"All practices, procedures and conditions that our veterinarian observed were consistent with industry best practices pertaining to animal health and food-borne pathogen risk minimization," wrote Greig. "There was every indication of a high and consistent standard of flock health management in this facility."

Greig noted, however, that the department "does not have jurisdiction on animal welfare issues."