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Battle Over Poultry Expansion in Somerset County

creative commons

Before the Somerset County Zoning and Planning Commission yesterday was a battle over chickens.

Dozens of residents and environmental activists showed up to urge the panel to deny any new proposals for large-scale poultry operations.

Dr. Sacoby Wilson from the Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health told the panel that there were serious health risks to the local water supply from chicken farms including pathogens, E. Coli and Salmonella.

But farmers told the Commission that tighter regulations would choke their resources and the local economy which has traditionally relied on the poultry industry.

Dale Childers from Princess Anne said there shouldn’t be an issue with more chicken operations after all, he added, “People don’t mind eating it, so they shouldn’t be against it.”  

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.