Source:  MEATINGPLACE.COM, 12/1/10

Perdue Farms and Tyson Foods both would like to build hundreds of additional chicken houses to supply their plants in Accomack County, Va., according to a local media report.

Perdue’s plant there processes more than 82 million birds a year, which come from as far away as Suffolk, Del., and North Carolina, the Delmarva Daily Times quoted Complex Manager Joe Campbell as saying.

Perdue needs 90 to 100 additional houses to reduce the turnaround time between farm and processing plant, Campbell said. "We could do 300 more houses right now," he said in the article.

Tyson Foods Plant Manager Bill Ricken was quoted as saying Tyson needs 125 additional houses nearby to adequately supply the plant but is restricted by Maryland land-use regulations.

The plant managers were speaking to local community leaders at a meeting organized by Delmarva Poultry Industry Inc., a regional trade association.

The Tyson Foods plant employs about 1,300 workers, while the Perdue plant employs more than 1,900, according to the article.

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