Opposition Grows to Nash County Poultry Slaughterhouse
Local businesses, cities of Wilson and Raleigh and public works directors of 13 communities join PTRF and Riverkeepers in opposition to the proposed Sanderson Farms' poultry slaughterhouse.
Officials from the City of Raleigh say a proposed chicken slaughterhouse in Nash County could cost them greatly in the future for waste cleanup. The city submitted comments to the state saying that such a facility and the ancillary 500-600 chicken houses needed to supply the plant, would cause greater nutrient pollution and could force Raleigh to spend more money on clean water requirements.
Raleigh's concerns have been echoed by 4 large pharmaceutical companies in Wilson County, the City of Wilson, and 13 cities that have regulated wastewater treatment facilities in the Neuse River basin. Sanderson Farms’ proposed poultry processing plant, aggressively recruited by Nash County, would be located in the Tar-Pamlico River basin. Part of the operation’s infrastructure includes a spray application field that would be located in the Neuse River Basin and the City of Wilson's water supply.
The Neuse River Compliance Association (of wastewater treatment facilities) members voting in favor of the resolution asking the state not to permit poultry slaughterhouse include the municipalities of Apex, Clayton, Farmville, Goldsboro, Kenly, La Grange, Raleigh and Wilson. Also in support were Johnston County; Progress Energy Carolinas; the South Granville Water and Sewer Authority, which represents Granville County and Butner, Creedmoor and Stem; Contentnea Metropolitan Sewer District, which includes Ayden, Grifton and Winterville; and Aqua America.
Four Wilson county pharmaceutical companies have stated they might have reconsidered their decision to locate in the county had they known about the proposed plant. The companies include Merck Manufacturing, Purdue Pharmaceuticals, Sandoz and Becton, Dickinson and Co. The companies sent a letter in March to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources about their environmental concerns and impact to area water supplies.
The staff and board members of the Pamlico-Tar River Foundation aggressively oppose the construction of the plant and associated hatchery, pullet and broiler houses. Our campaign began in August of 2010. The City of Wilson, the Nash County landowners association, and a host of citizens who will be impacted by the proposed slaughterhouse joined us in derailing the first "environmental" scoping document, aka "project Baseball" (cryptic name given to the project in an attempt by Nash County to keep the planned facility under the radar and out of the public eye).
