PALMYRA — The owner of a large commercial egg farm is speaking publicly for the first time since birds at his facilities were infected by avian flu starting last fall.
Bill Rehm, CEO and President of Daybreak Foods, said the situation reached a point where he felt it was time to talk.
Watch: The CEO and President of Daybreak Foods speaks about avaian flu's impact on the company's Cold Spring Egg Farm in Palmyra, which has caused millions of chickens to be euthanized and left to compost at a site in the village.
"It's gotten to a point with the composting and the bird flu in the reoccurrence six months later, and the wetland next door. It was time to have a conversation," Rehm said.
Daybreak Foods produces hundreds of millions of eggs sold and consumed across the Midwest.
The company's Cold Spring Egg Farm in Palmyra has been hit by avian flu multiple times since September of last year. Millions of chickens have been euthanized and composted on land owned by Daybreak, generating a smell that nearby residents say has made daily life unbearable.
Mark Bugs, a Palmyra resident, said the odor has disrupted simple outings. His son has autism, and one of the only activities he enjoys is tossing rocks into a Palmyra lake.
"He loves watching splashes in the water. And when we have to get up an run because the stink is rolling in, he’s not too happy about that," Bugs said.
Bugs said this task has been tainted by the smell of dead chickens, and that community members are impacted.
"People are frustrated. We are all in the same boat. We smell the same smell and we are stuck in it," Bugs said.
Rehm said the outbreaks have been devastating for him and his employees.
"I don't disagree. It's not a good smell. However, you know we're doing everything we can to prevent the outbreak, and this is probably one of the worst, if not the worst event in Daybreak's history. Two back-to-back events of high path AI in six months is terrible. Terrible for us, it is catastrophic for our employees, both emotionally and economically," Rehm said.
He said they are looking for alternative locations for composting.
"We are today trying to find other alternatives to brace for any potential future outbreak," Rehm said.
Rehm said a factor contributing to the repeated outbreaks is a wetland adjacent to the property, owned and managed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, that attracts ducks and geese capable of carrying the disease.
"From as far as you see from the left all around to the right here is land owned by the DNR that they have converted to a wetland for waterfowl to migrate to," Rehm said. "In simple terms, more waterfowl more risk of contracting HPAI."
The DNR, however, said it has not found a connection between the wetland and the outbreaks. Natasha Gwidt is part of the DNR's waste and materials team.
"[Daybreak Foods] also had outbreaks at their other facilities, which were a mile south of the project, and then actually five miles south of those wetland areas. So we have no correlation that has been identified between the locations of wild bird HPAI detections and HPAI detections in commercial and backyard poultry operations," Gwidt said.
Gwidt acknowledged that finding a path forward will not be straightforward.
"I think it is a many-pronged approach to a solution that is not simple," Gwidt said.
Rehm said cooperation between all parties will be necessary.
"We need the help of the DNR and the other stakeholders to accomplish this, that we both can figure out a way to cohabitate together," Rehm said.
Bugs said the responsibility for finding a solution should not fall on the community.
"It shouldn't be up to the town you want to dump this on. It needs to be up to them to find the best solution that won't affect the amount people that it does," Bugs said.
Bill says Daybreak Foods is currently working with the state to start the process of moving compost off the site in the near future.
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