Date: Mon, 13 Aug 2007 09:06:53 -0400
From: “Jeannette Beranger”
Subject: RE: Chicken plant in Pittsboro
Regarding the chicken plant in Pittsboro, if the plant that is being referred to is the JBF Processing plant on Jay Shambly road then folks need to know a few things about poultry processing. First, this plant is an extremely rare commodity in the farming community on a nation wide level. Lack of access to processing is often the reason there are entire regions in the US where farmers can’t think of raising poultry to market. (What, a farmer can’t raise a chicken?????) Not too many folks outside of the farming community realize that it’s not a simple thing for a farmer to raise and market poultry outside of them becoming a commercial producer that uses large houses for their birds. Unless you are an industrial farm, it’s not so easy.
The processing plant is a vital link for small farmers in the region who want to raise and market USDA inspected poultry to the public. It is the only USDA inspected plant in the entire state of North Carolina and is the only current option for independent producers since the large corporate plants will not take any poultry from small farmers. Poultry processing is ahuge problem for farmers as the remaining independent plants in the US slowly get squeezed out of existence by the industry and only large indoor commercial chicken houses become the consumer’s only option for poultry products.
People come incredibly long distances to use the facility and without it,
most of us who enjoy locally raised birds that are USDA inspected will be
out of luck. In recent years the plant has been taken over by new owners and
they have gone to great lengths to keep it open and to improve the facility
so that cleanliness and food safety will be optimal and thus any smell from
the operation will be minimal. Anyone who visited the plant several years
ago before the renovations will attest to the less than desirable odor
present then. They have come a long way and continue to spend a good amount
of money to continue to improve the plant and continue to serve the
community. Food for thought – Try smelling the commercial poultry processing
plant in Siler City on a hot afternoon some time and then tell me the small
independent plant smells bad.
If the new homeowners in the area of the small plant didn’t realize it was
there, then they should have done a better job at researching their
surroundings before committing to living in “farm country.” Chatham County
is largely farm country and we should celebrate that, not stifle it with the
complaints of newcomers that want to change Pittsboro into the next Apex or
Cary. Next are they going to complain that nearby cows “moo” too much or
there’s too much dust is in the air when folks cut and bale their hay?
Jeannette
Date: Thu, 9 Aug 2007 20:29:23 EDT
From: Proger61
Subject: The chicken plant in Pittsboro
The chicken plant in Pittsboro has been there since I was a boy. It’s always had a bad smell when you went by. I don’t think they should be made
to move, maybe people should have built their houses somewhere else knowing
that the plant was there. There weren’t but just a few houses close to it
then, and now they are all around it. A lot of people depend on that place
for their livelihood. And, if I’m not mistaken, when that place was built,
it wasn’t even in the city limits, if I’m wrong, maybe someone can correct
me. so why should they be punished and made to move, know one made anyone
build next to it.
Roger