Growers for Pure Prairie Poultry say their chickens are starving
(ABC 6 News) — Wisconsin poultry growers for Pure Prairie Poultry say the chickens in their care have been without food for days since the company announced it was closing down its Charles City processing plant.
The company reportedly told its employees and growers it would be closing down the plant because of their financial situation.
On Sept. 20, Pure Prairie Poultry filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy, and reportedly had between $100 million and $500 million in debts to 937 different creditors, according to court documents.
A Chapter 11 bankruptcy would have allowed Pure Prairie Poultry to continue operating its business, and possibly borrow more money, while a “reorganization” plan went into effect.
At least seven creditors formally objected to the bankruptcy plan.
In late September, the bankruptcy case was dismissed. A few days later, Pure Poultry notified the State of Iowa that they could not feed the 1.3 million chickens kept at 14 different farms in Iowa.
Pure Prairie Poultry contracted growers in Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Under these contracts, farmers provided care and the buildings for the animals, while Pure Prairie Poultry agreed to pay for the feed and other costs.
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Ownership was granted an emergency court order to take ownership of the birds on Wednesday, and is now coordinating care with the farmers.
Minnesota and Wisconsin have not taken ownership of the Pure Prairie Poultry birds, leaving some farmers feeling helpless when it comes to the birds they’ve cared for.
Terry and Dawn are Wisconsin poultry growers that contracted with Pure Prairie Poultry, and currently have about 62,000 chickens owned by Pure Prairie Poultry in their care.
Pure Prairie Poultry owes Terry and Dawn close to $100,000 in missed payments and reimbursements, and now that the plant has shut down, the couple said they don’t know when or if they will get their money back.
The chickens they care for have gone days without food since the closure of the plant.
“We can’t get through the barns anymore because there are too many birds that are just dying,” Terry said.
The farmers said the chickens are so hungry that they have resorted to eating each other.
“You can’t give them feed at this point. They’ll kill each other to get it,” Dawn said.
Dawn and Terry are heartbroken, but said there is nothing they can do because they cannot afford to feed that many birds.
The chickens are supposed to be removed from their barn on Monday, and Dawn and Terry said many will be euthanized.