Agriculture Ministry: 30% of eggs in Israel infected with salmonella

"I personally refrain from eating eggs from Israel," said the Director-General of the Agriculture Ministry, Ariel Whitman

By YVETTE J. DEANE
Updated: AUGUST 8, 2018 07:05
eggs in hand 521 (photo credit: Ron Tarver/Philadelphia Inquirer/MCT)
eggs in hand 521
(photo credit: Ron Tarver/Philadelphia Inquirer/MCT)
Some 30% of the country’s eggs are contaminated with salmonella, and 10% of the country’s egg-laying hens have been culled, according to a report released Monday by Dr. Sagit Nagar, the head of poultry diseases at the Agriculture Ministry’s Veterinary Services unit.
According to Nagar’s report, 10% of the eggs-laying-hens tested are infected with salmonella. Of these, 4.4% were infected with the aggressive strain of the bacteria which could be life-threatening to children, the elderly and the sick.
“I personally refrain from eating eggs from Israel,” said the director- general of the Agriculture Ministry, Ariel Whitman.
Farmers have refused to improve the hygiene level in the coops, Arutz Sheva reported. A grant of NIS 340 million is required to make the necessary improvements.
The Health Ministry’s investigation was conducted between June 2017 and April 2018.