Wright County Egg based in Galt, Iowa

Galt, Iowa

Galt is a city in Wright County, Iowa, United States. The population was 30 at the 2000 census.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 30 people, 15 households, and 12 families residing in the city. The population density was 55.8 people per square mile . There were 17 housing units at...

, is one of the top ten egg producers in the United States, with a flock of more than 15 million chickens. The company also produces pork

Pork

Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....

.

History

The company was founded by Austin "Jack" DeCoster as a teenager, when his father died, leaving the family with several hundred chickens.

In the 1990s and 2000s the company was raided several times, and faced litigation, with respect to employment practices and hiring of illegal immigrant workers. A number of grocery chains boycotted the company in the 1990s over concern for working conditions.

In June 2010, DeCoster plead guilty to animal cruelty charges with respect to the conditions of the egg-laying hens, after Mercy for Animals

Mercy for Animals

Mercy for Animals is an animal rights group based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in October 1999, it is a nonprofit, tax exempt, 501 organization with more than 25,000 members. Nathan Runkle is the group's executive director and founder...

, an animal rights

Animal rights

Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...

 organization forwarded undercover video footage of company facilities in Maine

Maine

Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...

. In August, 2010, the company recalled 380 million eggs in connection with a salmonella

Salmonella

Salmonella is a genus of rod-shaped, Gram-negative, non-spore-forming, predominantly motile enterobacteria with diameters around 0.7 to 1.5 µm, lengths from 2 to 5 µm, and flagella which grade in all directions . They are chemoorganotrophs, obtaining their energy from oxidation and reduction...

outbreak, and a related company, Hillandale Farms, recalled 170 million eggs.