Egg Producer Pleads Guilty

On Monday, the owner of Quality Eggs, one of the largest egg suppliers in the US, pleaded guilty to 10 counts of cruelty to animals. As a condition of its settlement, the Maine-based factory farm will pay $130,000 in fines and restitution, and must allow state officials to conduct random inspections of the premises for the next five years. The civil case was filed following an undercover investigation released by Mercy For Animals (MFA), which included video footage of animal abuse and neglect such as reckless, inhumane slaughter and dead hens left rotting near egg-laying hens. According to MFA, the landmark case is thought to be the largest monetary penalty charged against a factory farm in US history.