Martin Freeman, pictured shortly after the fire which destroyed the packing shed at Castel Farm Eggs earlier this year.
LOCAL eggs were taken off shop shelves because of concerns that mice had access to a temporary packing shed, it emerged yesterday.
Martin Freeman, 73, who has recently sold Castel Farm Eggs, although the transaction will not go through until September, said the decision had been made to close the business because he and the new owner had concerns about quality. He said mice, known carriers of salmonella, had access to the eggs – although he confirmed that no CFE eggs had tested positive for the bacterium.
‘Environmental Health were not too happy about the way we were packing and the fact mice had access,’ he said. ‘Mice are horrendous carriers of salmonella and if they can get into the packing area, they can get onto the shelves where the eggs are. All our eggs were 100% clear of salmonella, which is why it’s perfectly fine for people to buy them. But the fact that there was salmonella on the premises was enough to make us worry about it.
‘Despite all the vaccinations, we felt the right thing to do was to tell the supermarkets and leave the decision up to them.’
The business suffered £100,000-worth of damage when its packing shed burnt down two months ago and another shed already on the farm had been used to package the eggs since.
But Mr Freeman said it had become impossible to continue with that temporary solution.
‘It’s so difficult to keep it sterile,’ he said.
‘We got it going but as the weeks went on, we just couldn’t cope any more.’
Eggs from the farm were removed from supermarket shelves on Monday and the business has now been shut down by Mr Freeman and the new owner, a Mr Brooks, pending a complete renovation. The 16,000 chickens will be culled and replaced.
‘The new owner agreed that it would be better to give the place a spring clean and completely renovate,’ Mr Freeman said.
The chicken sheds will be completely renovated and vermin-proofed and the burnt-down packing shed rebuilt before business resumes, hopefully in October, Mr Freeman added.
‘It’s a drastic decision and it’s awful for me but it seems to be the best way,’ he said.
‘The idea is that the birds will all be taken live to England and then culled there.’
Mr Freeman said he had tried to be as open and honest as possible about any potential problems.
‘We wanted the supermarkets to make the choice,’ he said.
‘They cannot be seen to be taking any risks at all and I can’t blame them for that.’
John Cook, director of environmental and pollution regulation, said the department had liaised with Mr Freeman in its general investigation into increased salmonella levels in Guernsey and confirmed that he was aware of a mouse infestation at the farm.
He said: ‘Mr Freeman was not required to withdraw these eggs but clearly has elected to do so while he undertakes improvements.’
Article posted on 2nd July, 2008 - 2.30pm
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