Operations have resumed at a Tyson Foods poultry plant in Hope, Arkansas, after they were suspended on July 19 due to a discharge into a nearby stream.
According to a statement offered by Tyson Foods spokesperson Derek Burleson, Tyson Foods suspended operations there, following the discharge of what the company believes was a non-toxic residue in Caney Creek, a nearby stream that receives the facility’s wastewater.
The company, according to Burleson, notified state and local officials, as well as with downstream neighbors to alert them of the situation. Tyson Foods, which is headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, has also taken measures to clean up the stream.
Operations at the poultry plant in Hope resumed on July 23.
According to a report from myarklamiss.com, the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) had personnel on the scene the day of the discharge and have remained in communication with Tyson Foods. ADEQ has requested regular reports and notifications from the company regarding the remediation activity, observations from inspections, and investigations into the causes of this situation.
Tyson Foods, according to the WATTAgNet Top Poultry Companies Database, is the largest broiler company in the United States, having processed 174.8 million pounds of ready-to-cook chicken on a weekly basis in 2017.
The company, which recently acquired Tecumseh Poultry and has expressed that it is considering growth through more acquisitions, is also a major processor of pork, turkey and beef. It is also the third largest feed producer in the United States, producing 10 million metric tons annually. Tyson Foods slaughtered 349 million pounds of turkeys in 2017.
