The number of hogs and poultry killed in Hurricane Florence is already double that of Matthew.
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The NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said, as of Tuesday, that 3.4 million chickens/turkeys and 5,500 hogs have been killed by Hurricane Florence. The NC Pork Council said some hogs drowned in flood waters, while others died due to damages to barns.
Sanderson Farms says flooding from hurricane Florence has resulted in the loss of about 1.7 million broiler chickens. In a statement, the company says about 30 farms housing more than 200,000 chickens each are isolated by floodwaters and cannot be reached by feed trucks. The company says 60 of the 880 broiler houses in the region have been flooded.
At least two Tyson Foods farms where affected by the storm, but the company told meat industry publication Meatingplace there was “minimal impact” on its live poultry operations in North Carolina and Virginia. Tyson says it is leveraging its regional supply chain to make sure there is no disruption to its business in addition to helping affected farmers and community members, which includes serving meals to victims, volunteers and first responders.
Additionally, the NC Department of Environmental Quality said 13 hog waste lagoons are overflowing from rainfall while 55 others are close to overflowing.
Read more via NewsObserver.com.