Residents in southeastern Hoke County, North Carolina, are grappling with a significant rat infestation, and they are attributing the issue to three industrial chicken farms that supply chickens to Mountaire Farms.
While the rat problem has been ongoing for a few months, the situation escalated in mid-July, following a comprehensive cleaning of 48 chicken houses on the involved farms. This “whole-house cleanout,” as reported by the Hoke County Cooperative Extension Service, is believed to have displaced rats from the chicken houses, pushing them onto neighboring properties.
According to experts, the North Carolina state Department of Environmental Quality and the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services conducted an investigation at the facility. They have determined that the rats’ presence is not connected to the “disposal of livestock and poultry.” Consequently, they lack regulatory jurisdiction to offer assistance or services in addressing the issue.
Mountaire Farms, one of the major chicken producers in the United States headquartered in Millsboro, Delaware, has informed local journalists that their chicken houses have established rodent control programs. The company has attributed the recent rat problem to flooding in the area. In response, Mountaire Farms has offered to provide a year of exterminator service to residents in the vicinity.
As a measure to mitigate the infestation, Mountaire Farms has declared that the affected chicken houses are currently unoccupied and will remain unstocked until the rat problem is resolved.
The rat infestation is causing damage to property, including the destruction of corn ears and contamination of hay and animal feed in the areas between Dundarrach and Lumber Bridge, situated about 20 minutes outside of Fayetteville.
Mountaire Farms, the fourth-largest chicken producer in the country, manages poultry processing plants in Lumber Bridge and Siler City, North Carolina.
The situation highlights the challenges posed by the interaction between industrial farming practices and local ecosystems, with residents and authorities seeking solutions to effectively address the rat infestation while minimizing its impact on the community and the environment.
