The panel asked whether Harrington had documented a known outbreak before filing its concerns. The company's representative said there had been general uncertainty because of the batch's disposal history. Leah answered that uncertainty warranted careful inspection, which she supported, but it did not by itself establish the serious disease allegations that had appeared in public statements. Kora watched Genevieve's face as the distinction became part of the official record.
Professor Miriam Ortiz then described Copper Crest. She explained that its purpose had been to develop birds suited for heat tolerance, outdoor foraging, and practical reproduction on smaller farms, with performance judged across several seasons rather than by a single industrial efficiency metric. Harrington had provided facilities and technical staff, the university had provided research oversight, and public agricultural funding had supported the trial. The resulting agreements permitted controlled distribution to qualified growers rather than giving Harrington a permanent monopoly on every bird descended from the project.
"Is Copper Crest a valuable program?" a panel member asked.
"Potentially," Ortiz replied. "We don't know enough to promise a commercial outcome. But the surviving flock is exceptionally important as a research and breeding resource because the program was understood to have lost its final viable group."
"And the reported viability data?"
Ortiz opened a chart. "Harrington's submissions showed uniformly poor results. The independent evidence we now have indicates the scanner used for classification was malfunctioning. Until the raw data and the decision-making process are reviewed, we cannot rely on the company's conclusion that the line failed."
She introduced the historical record showing Walter Halstead's contribution to an earlier breeding project, careful to explain that the entry did not give Kora any ownership rights. Kora was grateful for the caution. The fact mattered to her as family history, not as a shortcut around the law. Still, hearing Walter's name spoken in that room made her think of the old barn and the man who insisted she learn how to record a hatch correctly before he would let her manage one alone.
Nolan Pierce was the witness who changed the atmosphere. He walked to the table with a thin folder prepared with his attorney and a look of fear he did not attempt to conceal. He explained the scanner's calibration process in simple language, described the anomalous results after the software update, and identified the maintenance ticket requesting the line be stopped. Then he authenticated the record showing the request denied and the following report marked completed without a proper recalibration.
"Could the scanner have misclassified this entire lot?" Janet asked.
"Yes. We confirmed a significant false-negative pattern in the preserved data. It was particularly severe for the shell characteristics of V-17."
"Did you tell management?"
"Yes. Twice through the maintenance system, and once directly at a production review."
"What happened?"
"I was told the line could not stop before existing shipments went out. Later I was told the research group would handle any reporting questions."