Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. Reports Positive Test Result for Avian Influenza at Kansas Facility
December 12 2023 - 4:28PM
Business Wire
Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ: CALM) (“Cal-Maine Foods” or
“Company”) today reported that one of the Company’s facilities in
Kansas tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza
(“HPAI”), affecting approximately 684,000 laying hens, or
approximately 1.6% of the Company’s total flock.
Production at the facility has temporarily ceased as the Company
follows the protocols prescribed by the USDA. Cal-Maine Foods is
working to secure production from other facilities to minimize
disruption to its customers.
According to the USDA, these detections do not present an
immediate public health concern and are not a threat to the food
supply. Also, according to the USDA, HPAI cannot be transmitted
through safely handled and properly cooked eggs or poultry. There
is no known risk related to HPAI associated with eggs that are
currently in the market and no eggs have been recalled.
There have been no positive tests for HPAI at any other
Cal-Maine Foods locations to date. Cal-Maine Foods believes it has
implemented and continues to maintain robust biosecurity programs
across all its locations. Additional strict protocols are in place
designed to prevent exposure from the Kansas facility to other
locations, including the Company’s nearby layer complex which
houses approximately one million hens. The Company continues to
work closely with federal, state and local government officials and
focused industry groups to mitigate the risk of future outbreaks
and effectively manage the response.
The APHIS division of the USDA and individual states track and
publicly report individual incidents of HPAI by location. The
Company will provide updated information in its next quarterly
report to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in
January 2024 and does not expect to provide interim updates unless
material.
Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. is primarily engaged in the production,
grading, packing, marketing and sale of fresh shell eggs, including
conventional, cage-free, organic, pasture-raised, free-range and
nutritionally enhanced eggs. The Company, which is headquartered in
Ridgeland, Mississippi, is the largest producer and distributor of
fresh shell eggs in the United States and sells the majority of its
shell eggs in states across the southwestern, southeastern,
mid-western and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.
Forward Looking Statements
Statements contained in this press release that are not
historical facts are forward-looking statements as that term is
defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
The forward-looking statements are based on management’s current
intent, belief, expectations, estimates and projections regarding
our company and our industry. These statements are not guarantees
of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties, assumptions
and other factors that are difficult to predict and may be beyond
our control. The factors that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements
include, among others, (i) the risk factors set forth in the
Company’s SEC filings (including its Annual Reports on Form 10-K,
Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K),
(ii) the risks and hazards inherent in the shell egg business
(including disease, pests, weather conditions and potential for
recall), including but not limited to the most recent outbreak of
highly pathogenic avian influenza affecting poultry in the U.S.,
Canada and other countries that was first detected in commercial
flocks in the U.S. in February 2022, (iii) changes in the demand
for and market prices of shell eggs and feed costs, (iv) our
ability to predict and meet demand for cage-free and other
specialty eggs, (v) risks, changes or obligations that could result
from our future acquisition of new flocks or businesses and risks
or changes that may cause conditions to completing a pending
acquisition not to be met, (vi) risks relating to increased costs
and higher and potentially further increases in inflation and
interest rates, which began in response to market conditions caused
in part by the COVID-19 pandemic and which generally have been
exacerbated by the Russia-Ukraine war that began in February 2022,
(vii) our ability to retain existing customers, acquire new
customers and grow our product mix, and (viii) adverse results in
pending litigation matters. SEC filings may be obtained from the
SEC or the Company’s website, www.calmainefoods.com. Readers are
cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements
because, while we believe the assumptions on which the
forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, there can be
no assurance that these forward-looking statements will prove to be
accurate. Further, the forward-looking statements included herein
are only made as of the respective dates thereof, or if no date is
stated, as of the date hereof. Except as otherwise required by law,
we disclaim any intent or obligation to publicly update these
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231212054990/en/
Sherman Miller, President and CEO Max P. Bowman, Vice President
and CFO (601) 948-6813
Cal Maine Foods (NASDAQ:CALM)
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