FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                                                                                                                   August 14, 2018

The below statement is attributable to Chad Gregory, President and CEO, United Egg Producers, regarding the issuance of the final rule from USDA-APHIS on payment of indemnity for egg producers in the event of an HPAI outbreak.

 “The highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak in 2015 was devastating for America’s egg farmers and for the industry overall. United Egg Producers (UEP) and its farmer-members take very seriously our responsibilities for biosecurity and disease prevention.

“UEP, which represents about 90 percent of the nation’s egg production, recognized the critical need to provide industry leadership on the issue of indemnity. Our organization created a dedicated Animal Health and Biosecurity Task Force to work closely with the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) to establish specific biosecurity principles, and we are pleased these principles are the foundation for audits in the final indemnity rule.

“Egg farmers remain firmly committed to maintaining robust biosecurity practices on our farms to protect the health and well-being of our hens. We appreciate USDA-APHIS’s efforts in working with U.S. egg producers to ensure that comprehensive indemnities and compensation are available in the event of an HPAI outbreak.”

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CONTACT:           Hinda Mitchell, 614.537.8926

About UEP

United Egg Producers (UEP) is a cooperative of U.S. egg farmers working collaboratively to address legislative, regulatory and advocacy issues impacting the industry through active farmer-member leadership, a unified voice and partnership across the agriculture community. UEP’s farmer-members work to provide for the health and well-being of their birds; to produce safe, nutritious, high-quality eggs; and to manage their farms responsibly with best on-farm management practices. Leadership of and participation in the UEP Certified program by the vast majority of egg producers further demonstrates a broad commitment to the care of egg-laying hens. UEP also manages the national Egg Safety Center, a leading resource for consumer and industry information on the safe production of eggs and prevention of disease. Formed in 1968, UEP members represent more than 90 percent of US egg production.