Parts of US poultry industry negatively impacted by hurricane Helene

In Georgia, it is reported that 107 poultry facilities have been “damaged or totally destroyed” as a result of hurricane Helene. Photo: Canva .

The death toll of Hurricane Helene, which recently hit the states of Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia in the US, is expected to be over 2,000, and among its destruction of property, it has damaged and/or caused power outages at numerous poultry farms and processing plants.

Georgia and North Carolina are among the states where most of the country’s chicken is produced. Across Georgia and North Carolina, birds were killed during the storm due to direct building damage as a result of high winds and flooding, and many more will die this week due to electricity outages affecting feed and water delivery inside the barns, feed delivery due to road damage and so on.

Costs in Georgia

Bloomberg reports that the state of Georgia expects that Helene will be more costly than hurricane Michael, which caused US$2.5 billion (€2.27 billion) in agricultural damage in 2018. In total, Georgia governor Brian Kemp has stated that 107 poultry facilities had been “damaged or totally destroyed” just in that state.

The state’s agriculture commissioner stated that “the future of hundreds of agricultural operations across Georgia is uncertain…[Helene] could not have come at a worse time for our farmers and producers, who are already faced with record-setting drops in net farm income caused by inflation, high input costs, labor shortages, global competition and low commodity prices.” He is seeking immediate federal aid.

Specifics of destruction

Wayne-Sanderson Farms’ poultry processing plant in Moultrie, Georgia, stopped operations on Monday 30 September, while operations at the company’s farms in Pendergrass, Georgia, and Dobson, North Carolina have also been impacted by minor flooding and road impacts.

A company representative reported to WATT Global Media that their “live production teams are working with local farm partners to ensure fuel is available for generators and provide any other assistance as needed. Loss of electrical power…prompted us to close the Moultrie processing facility until local Georgia power crews can restore power.”

Power was promptly restored to the feed mill in that area, which resumed delivery to area farms as local road conditions permit.

Two Pilgrim’s Pride plants in Georgia owned by JBS were shut down on 28 September, and on various farms owned by the company, many birds were killed outright by storm damage. Meanwhile, plants owned by House of Raeford Farms in Greenville and West Columbia in South Carolina and Vienna, Georgia, were out of power as of 30 September.

Pilgrim’s Pride is evaluating the damage experienced by its growers, and stated: “Many birds have been lost in some areas and the damage to some farms has been severe.”

Claxton Poultry in Georgia halted plant operations on 28 September but power was restored to the plant the next day and operations resumed the day after. Aviagen’s parent stock hatchery in Quitman, Georgia was in the hurricane’s path. It lost power but operation continued because of generators and enough available employees.