Hundreds protest new poultry plant

Trying to make their voices heard before the shit hits the field:

Residents who live in communities in Southern Nash County and Wilson are fighting the proposed plant, saying their numbers exceed 800. They are collecting money for a legal battle.

Protestors held up signs that read “No Slaughterhouse” with a chicken crossed out by a prohibition sign. One woman even donned a yellow chicken costume and waved to the hundreds of people as they drove into the field.

Considering the rural locale and our severely depressed economy, for that many people to join in protest of a new industry is saying something.

And here's a word from the cheerleaders:

But several N.C. State University professors that specialize in poultry production said the risk of water contamination from the plant and the contracted chicken houses is minimal.

Mike Williams, a professor and director of the Animal and Poultry Waste Management Center, said the permit requirements for these contracted production facilities and processing plant are stringent and “very adequate.”

But he said there is never going to be zero risk of water contamination from the project.

Carolinas Gateway Partnership Chairman Frank Harrison said officials have gone out of their way to do their due diligence on Sanderson Farms and the plants they operate, visiting sites and talking with public officials.

“With the high unemployment in our area, the community has an obligation to work to create fair-paying jobs with health insurance,” Harrison said.

When I get a few minutes, I might just have to see how much chicken money flows into N.C. State. Until then, here's some Riverkeeper feedback:

Tess Sanders, the White Oak-New Riverkeeper in Onslow County, is among them. She said the processing plant is just the catalyst that brings the chicken houses and the environmental problems.

“We’ve definitely seen an influx of poultry (contracted) facilities since the Sanderson Plant was built in Kinston,” she said. “The new facilities are much larger than any we’ve seen before. These definitely aren’t family farms; they’re industrial operations. Eastern North Carolina’s people and waters are already struggling under the economic, environmental and public health burdens inflicted by the hog industry, yet it seems we haven’t learned our lesson.”

She added that North Carolina is being targeted because the poultry industry is essentially unregulated, just like the hog industry was 15 years ago.

“Poultry waste is just as harmful,” she said. “The Kinston plant is 35 miles away, but we’re seeing a remarkable influx of new operations. This isn’t a local, ‘not in my backyard’ problem. If this plant is within 50 miles of your home or the water you depend on for drinking, fishing or recreation, you should be concerned.”