Suspension of Lay Hong's Jeram 1 farm lifted after DVS finds all farms free of Salmonella

KUALA LUMPUR (March 22): The suspension of Lay Hong Bhd's production from its Jeram 1 farm in Selangor was lifted today as all of the group's farms are declared free of Salmonella Enteritidis (SE).

In a statement today, the group said the test conducted by the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) at all farms returned with negative results for the disease.

"This is a very comprehensive investigation conducted by DVS, which included testing of the eggs, environment chicken faeces, cloacal swab, feed, water and others from each farm at the lab in DVS Salak Tinggi.

"The testings were completed after more than a week of suspension since SE was found in the eggs exported from Jeram Farm 1 — CES 008 to Singapore," said the group.

Lay Hong executive director Datuk Yap Chor How said the results prove that all eggs from Lay Hong's farms are free from SE contamination.

"The results also showed that it is unlikely that the SE contamination discovered recently occurred at any of our farms," he said.

Yap added that the department believes that the contamination could have occured somewhere else as the eggs made their way to the market, and will leave investigations to the authorities.

"Going forward, we will continue to work with the DVS to strengthen our farm control and monitoring," Yap added.

Following the negative results, the DVS will initiate engagement with the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) over the matter, according to Lay Hong.

Yap said the group hopes Singapore will lift the export suspension as soon as possible for its Jeram 1 farm.

"Also, in reference to a recent announcement by Singapore SFA and AEON Co (M) Bhd for the recall of eggs coded CEM 014, we would like to address the public that these are NOT Lay Hong's eggs or from any of our farms," he said.

Yap also said the group will remain committed to ensuring food safety and will remain accountable as well as transparent with the public in regard 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 eggs of Lay Hong brand are safe for human consumption," Yap added.

Shares of Lay Hong closed 0.5 sen or 1.49% higher at 34 sen with some 1.42 million shares changing hands. This valued the group at RM224.5 million.

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