Poultry Processing News

"The timing couldn't be worse for farmers. Cool Hand Meats, the meat processing plant that was closest to us, has closed its doors. This leaves many farmers without a USDA approved slaughterhouse for the chickens and turkeys that they have raised. The good news is that the Director of NCDA&CS Meat and Poultry Inspection Division, is granting an exemption until the end of this year that allows poultry exempt operators to process bird from other farmers, with certain restrictions. The list of those processors is here. Of course the bad news is that North Carolina is still without an independent USDA inspected poultry processing facility. We are hoping that another plant will reopen its doors to North Carolina farmers so they won't have to travel to other states with their birds. "