Environmental concerns prompt state to suspend chicken farm applications

 

Growing concerns over water pollution and opposition by residents in eastern Oklahoma prompted Oklahoma Agriculture Secretary Jim Reese this week to suspend applications for any more poultry farms in the state.

On Monday, he suspended the department’s acceptance and processing of registration applications.  In the past several months, residents of some communities in the northeast part of the state held town hall meetings to protest more growth of farms by Arkansas-based poultry operations.

“This suspension shall continue until the Board Determines the Coordinating Council on Poultry Growth has had adequate opportunity to analyze the current poultry growth issues in Oklahoma and the Board is sufficiently informed on the issues related,” stated Reece in announcing the suspension.

He said there was only one application pending when the suspension was made.

“Therefore, we find it timely to pause and temporarily suspend accepting applications. The board intends to take into consideration the work of the Coordinating Council on poultry growth and determine if a more structure plan can accommodate neighbors, communities and the poultry industry.”

The Coordinating Council was formed with the Cherokee Nation after residents complained when Simmons Foods announced last year it was opening a new chicken processing plant near the Oklahoma-Arkansas border in Gentry, Arkansas.

While the state did not have record levels of poultry farms, the northeast part of Oklahoma has extensive operations. The State had issued licenses to 162 operators for 712 chicken houses in Delaware County. The operations had the capability of holding nearly 19.6 million birds and most were being raised for Simmons Foods.

LeFlore County had 11.8 million chickens in 447 houses and there were 134 licenses operators.  Most of the chickens in the county were being raised for Tyson Foods.