Grist: Big Poultry ramps up its assault on the Chesapeake

According to Meatingplace.com (subscription required), Tyson and Perdue both want to build "hundreds" of chicken houses near their vast slaughter facilities in Accomack County, Va.

"Perdue's plant there processes more than 82 million birds a year," Meatingplace reports. The plant draws in birds from as "far away as Suffolk, Del., and North Carolina." And to "reduce the turnaround time between farm and processing plant," Perdue wants lots more poultry production in or near Accomack County.

How many more chicken houses would satisfy its appetite? Meatingplace quotes a Perdue functionary: "We could do 300 more houses right now."

As for Tyson, it "needs 125 additional houses nearby to adequately supply the (Accomack County) plant but is restricted by Maryland land-use regulations." ...............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.grist.org/article/food-2010-12-02-big-poultry-ramps-up-its-assault-on-the-chesapeake

More than the Chesapeake watershed can handle ... can you say "dead zone", boys and girls?