//29 Apr 2011
Tornadoes and violent storms which are sweeping through southern-eastern US states have destroyed 200 chicken houses that held up to 4 million chickens in Alabama, state officials told Reuters.
Futhermore another 180 chicken houses have been damaged by the storm.
Alabama is No. 3 US chicken producer, behind Georgia and Arkansas. The state has about 14,000 chicken houses that hold approximately 200 million chickens, according to the National Chicken Council.
"Thousands of chickens have been lost in the tornadoes, and these numbers could grow as we continue to assess the damage," Agriculture Commissioner John McMillan said in a statement.
"Power outages and loss of drinking water could worsen an already critical situation for poultry producers and meat processors," he said.
Pilgrim's Pride Corp, the No. 2 US chicken company and majority owned by JBS SA, said a number of its complexes were affected by the storms and its processing plants in Guntersville and Boaz were without power.
Tyson Foods, the No. 1 chicken producer, has yet to comment whether it has also been affected.
Source: Reuters
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