ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina poultry processing plant has closed, leaving farmers in six states in a bind as Thanksgiving and Christmas draw closer.
The Asheville Citizen-Times reports Cool Hand Meats closed its doors last month because of what its owner says was a lack of capital. Cool Hand Meats provided Animal Welfare Act-approved and U.S. Department of Agriculture-inspected slaughter and processing services from a facility in Marion.
According to the newspaper, the nearest USDA-approved slaughterhouses are in Ohio, Kentucky, Kansas and Alabama.
“Farmers need to demand more money out of the customers if they’re going to make this extremely unique, high-welfare product work,” owner Amanda Carter said. “But it doesn’t matter if we hug the chicken if we can’t reduce the brutality throughout the supply chain.”
That means paying both farmers and slaughterhouse workers a fair wage, she said.
With no consistent community funding combined with huge turnover, high expenses and a short profit-making season, keeping the plant open was impossible, Carter said.
“Agriculture is seasonal, but we need to pay the bills 12 months out of the year,” she said.
Jamie Ager saw the writing on the wall early enough to put a processing facility in the back of his barn at Hickory Nut Gap Farm. An on-site kitchen will help with butchery and vacuum sealing. All of the birds will be slaughtered, processed and delivered in time for Thanksgiving.
Carter said she hopes a stakeholder steps in with enough capital investment to not only get the plant running again, to keep it running well into the future.
Many customers prepay for holiday birds, leaving it up to farmers to fill orders. Some farmers may have a smaller profit or lose money if they have to ship their birds far from their farms for slaughter.
___
Information from: The Asheville Citizen-Times, http://www.citizen-times.com
— The Asheville Citizen-Times via The Associated Press
For more news from North Carolina, click here.
RECOMMENDED ARTICLES
WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The Big E is back and better than ever! With more food, fun, music and must-see attractions, you won’t want to miss a thing! Here is the most up-to-date information on this year’s Fair. Please note: All information is subject to change. Entertainment: From major headliners with chart-topping hits, to up […]
MADISON, Wis. — Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP), announced 19 Wisconsin dairy companies will receive a DATCP Dairy Processor Grant in 2022. These grants aim to foster innovation, improve profitability, and sustain the long-term viability of Wisconsin’s dairy processing facilities. “Wisconsin’s dairy industry is not […]
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) Secretary Randy Romanski and Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes announced April 12 the creation of the new Wisconsin Agricultural Export Advisory Council (WAXC). This council will help guide the initiatives created through the Wisconsin Initiative for Agricultural Exports (WIAE), […]
WASHINGTON — When Mickeala Carter ’12 went to Washington, D.C., eight years ago, she did not know she was beginning a rewarding career in agriculture policy. Starting as a congressional intern in the Agricultural and Natural Resources Policy Internship Program, ANRP, she now serves as deputy director of communications at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA. […]
FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Kentucky Agricultural Development Board approved $4,939,773 for agricultural diversification and rural development projects across the commonwealth at its monthly board meeting. “Today’s announcement shows how diverse the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board’s mission truly is,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Dr. Ryan Quarles. “These investments in capital projects for a farmers’ market, greenhouses […]
