Gemperle examines losses in huge henhouse fire near Ceres. Egg donations will go on
Gemperle Family Farms is still tallying its losses in a fire last week that killed an estimated quarter-million hens south of Ceres.
But the company said the blaze will not keep it from donating eggs to people in need. This includes its share of the 6 million being provided to California nonprofits burdened by the coronavirus.
The April 23 fire happened in a large structure at Barnhart and Bystrum roads where the Turlock-based company produces some of its eggs. The cause is still under review by the Stanislaus Regional Fire Investigation Unit.
‘State-of-the-art’ hen quarters
The henhouse was one that Gemperle had recently built as part of an industry trend toward providing more space for the birds. This was spurred in part by a 2008 state ballot measure from groups concerned that hens typically had just 67 square inches of floor space in each cage.
“The damaged poultry barn was one of our newest cage-free aviary barns designed for hens to roam freely,” Gemperle said in an emailed statement to The Modesto Bee. “It was a state-of-the-art building engineered for animal welfare, reduction of emissions, environmental sustainability, manure management, and worker safety and ergonomics.”
$122 million industry
Gemperle is a key part of the egg industry in Stanislaus and Merced counties. They combined for an estimated $112 million in gross income to farmers in 2018, according to the counties’ most recent crop reports.
Most of the eggs are distributed by NuCal Foods in Ripon, a partnership of Gemperle, JS West & Cos. of Modesto, Valley Fresh Foods of Turlock, and Sunrise Farms of Petaluma.
NuCal’s high volume will allow it to keep meeting egg demand even with the temporary loss of some of the Gemperle production, the Turlock company said.
Gemperle has long given eggs to nonprofits, reaching a total of 8 million a year ago. It just joined with its NuCal partners to donate 6 million eggs to groups having increased demand as COVID-19 wears at family budgets.
The egg donations will continue despite the fire, Gemperle said.
PETA billboard
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, a long-time critic of the egg industry, used the Gemperle fire to advance its cause. The group plans to erect a billboard honoring the dead hens in the area of the fire.
“If everyone were vegan, it wouldn’t have happened,” the text reads in part.
The exact location and timing for the billboard have yet to be decided, said an email from Brooke Rossi, media coordinator at the PETA office in Washington, D.C.
This story was originally published April 28, 2020 at 2:34 PM.
