Land O' Lakes division to run egg farms
A subsidiary of Land O' Lakes Inc. will operate three Maine egg producers formerly run by DeCoster Egg Farms -- Quality Egg of New England in Turner, Dorothy Egg Farm in Leeds and Mountain Hollow Farms in Winthrop.
California-based Moark LLC has agreed to a 10-year lease to operate egg production, processing and warehousing at the three farms, according to a press release from the Maine Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources. At the end of the lease, Moark will have the option to buy the facilities. The lease agreement adds a total of 3.6 million egg layers to Moark's operations and strengthens its position in northeastern United States, President Craig Willardson said in the release. The company intends to maintain the majority of current work force at all three facilities. The transaction is expected to close soon.
Last year, Maine Contract Farming, which operates the Quality Egg farm in Turner, agreed to pay $125,000 to settle an animal cruelty case following the release of undercover videos taken by Ohio-based activist group Mercy for Animals. Moark said it will institute its "robust safety and quality assurance standards" at the Maine facilities.
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