The Sun Journal’s June 10 editorial on our farm’s settlement with the state of Maine spent a lot of time rehashing the past. It gave minimal regard to the significant improvements that have been made during the past year to establish and follow corrective measures at Maine Contract Farming following an isolated incident of hen mistreatment at our Turner farm.

Our family has been farming in Maine for more than 60 years. During that time, we’ve provided millions of cartons of safe, nutritious eggs to consumers across New England. Excellent care of our hens has been — and continues to be — a top priority.

Our birds are our livelihood — and providing for their well-being just makes good sense. The agreement with the state allows us to put this matter behind us and focus on what we know best — egg farming.

We will not condone the mistreatment of our birds. That’s why our farm quickly implemented a full course of corrective measures to ensure our flocks have the best care, housing and continuous access to nutritious, fresh food and water.

We’ve hired a renowned independent avian veterinarian to inspect our flocks and our farms. Our workers are trained — and retrained — as needed in proper hen care, treatment and handling best practices. Our farm also has set clear, written codes of conduct, which must be signed by all workers, for how hens are to be treated.

The Maine Department of Agriculture has seen firsthand our commitment as our farm cooperates fully with its ongoing random inspection process. The district attorney and the state veterinarian both have publicly acknowledged the positive changes at our farm and the credible improvements in overall care of our flocks.

I hope that the Sun Journal will consider following their lead.

Jay DeCoster, operations manager

Maine Contract Farming, Turner