PETALING JAYA: Lay Hong Bhd has said all its farms in Jeram, Kuala Selangor, have been declared free of Salmonella Enteritidis (SE), after tests conducted by the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) returned with negative results, therefore effectively lifting the suspension of egg supply from Jeram 1 – CES 008 farm on Monday.
The testing was conducted on the eggs, environment chicken faeces, cloacal swap, feed, water and others from each farm at the lab in DVS Salak Tinggi, and was completed after more than a week of suspension since SE was found in the eggs exported from Jeram Farm 1 – CES 008 to Singapore.
Lay Hong executive director Datuk Yap Chor How welcomed the news of the negative results, adding that it showed that it is unlikely that the SE contamination discovered recently occurred at any of its farms.
“As mentioned by DVS, SE contamination did not occur within our farms and could possibly happen along with the supply to the marketing chain. We will leave this for the authorities to further investigate. Going forward, we will continue to work with the DVS to strengthen our farm control and monitoring,” Yap added.
Following the negative results of the SE testing, DVS will initiate engagement with the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) in regard to the matter. Yap said the group hopes that Singapore will lift the export suspension as soon as possible for its Jeram 1 farm.
Separately, Yap said that a recent recall of eggs coded CEM 014 by Singapore SFA and Aeon Co (M) Bhd did not come from any of the group’s farms.
“The group will remain committed to ensuring food safety and will remain accountable and transparent to the public in regards to its operations.
“We would like to apologise to our loyal customers and stakeholders for any misunderstanding and emotional distress. Customer safety is our top priority. All Lay Hong brand eggs are safe for human consumption,” Yap said.
