(Spencer)– The national egg recall took center stage at a debate between Iowa’s top agriculture official and the man hoping to take his job.
Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey joined Democratic challenger Francis Thicke for Saturday’s debate at the Clay County Fair.
Thicke said the recall has damaged Iowa’s reputation, referring to it as the state’s version of the BP disaster in the gulf.
Eggs from Iowa farms have been linked to as many as 1,500 salmonella poisoning cases and more than have a billion eggs have been recalled.
If he’s elected, Thicke said he’d implement a regulatory system that includes vaccinating laying hens and monthly inspections of egg-laying facilities.
Northey noted that the source of the salmonella has not yet been confirmed, and cautioned against drawing conclusions too quickly.
The two candidates also have sharp differences over whether the siting of large confined animal feeding operations should be open to more local control. Thicke says he’s in favor of it, saying local officials have better knowledge on the nuances behind things like that.
Northey says he’s against local control, noting that consistent regulations are needed statewide. He says having separate sets of regulations in each of Iowa’s 99 counties would be confusing and cumbersome.
