FDA issues Final Guidance for shell egg producers who provide laying hens with access to areas outside the poultry house
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued final guidance for shell egg producers on how to comply with certain provisions in the final rule titled, «Prevention of Salmonella Enteritidis in Shell Eggs During Production, Storage, and Transportation» (egg rule).
This guidance provides recommendations on how egg producers who allow hens access to areas outside the poultry house can meet requirements to prevent Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) from contaminating shell eggs on the farm. A significant change from the draft guidance issued in July 2013 is that the FDA is designating a porch as an area outside the poultry house rather than part of the poultry house. The FDA made this change, in part, in response to comments submitted to the draft guidance.