Initial reports from North Carolina indicate that 1.9 million birds, mostly broiler chickens, have died as a result of flooding caused by Hurricane Matthew, according to state agriculture officials. However, State Veterinarian Doug Meckes expects that number to rise significantly and could reach potentially 5 million poultry birds. In 2015, North Carolina produced about 823 million chickens for meat, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Veterinary officials and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Environmental Programs Division are reaching out to poultry producers and have depopulation teams on standby as well to assist growers with proper disposal of the birds.
The NC Department of Environmental Programs and the Division of Soil and Water Conservation is also working with poultry producers to ensure the environmental impact is a little as possible. Inspectors from the Meat and Poultry Division will be visiting processing plants, once the floodwaters have receded, to ensure they are safe to begin operating again.
Sanderson Farms said it lost about 250,000 chickens in North Carolina as a result of the floodwaters. Perdue Farms said it is still assessing the number of chickens lost, and Tyson Foods reported minimal losses.
Floodwaters have covered areas across central and eastern North Carolina and drowning’s have pushed the hurricane death toll to 22 people and forcing more that 3,800 persons into shelters
North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler requested and was granted a $6 million grant from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency to purchase carbon material to compost the carcasses and mitigate the potential public health risk. The finished compost can then be used for agricultural purposes.
