Daybreak Foods has been granted an air pollution control permit for its planned expansion project in Lake Mills, Wisconsin.
The permit was approved by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on October 17.
With the granting of the permit from the state agency, Daybreak Foods is authorized to construct three pullet houses, five layer barns and supporting equipment such as feed storage bins, heaters and emergency generators, two animal incinerators, three process boilers, two HVAC units, a corn storage bin and feed mill, reported the Lake Mills Leader.
Daybreak Foods will now have 18 months to complete the construction project that covered by the permit. However, the company does have the option to file for a revised construction permit if more time is needed.
The company had first revealed its plans to expand the facility during a meeting with local officials in November 2017. At the time, Daybreak Foods spokesman Rick Roedl said Daybreak Foods planned to expand its capacity in Lake Mills to 2 million hens and also have an additional 700,000 pullets in a pullet barn. The expansion is not only designed to add to the company’s capacity, but also to accommodate a transition to cage-free egg production.
The company in March had been granted a conditional use permit for the expansion project by the Jefferson County Zoning and Planning Committee, and the Lake Mills Town Board in February.
That conditional use permit had been challenged by Aaron R. Johnson, who field an appeal, claiming that officials in Jefferson County had failed to properly consider air quality and odor concerns in issuing the permit. That appeal was denied by the Wisconsin Livestock Facility Sitting Review Board, which stated that the permit application filled out by Daybreak Foods satisfied the requirements of the odor standard in the corresponding state statutes, and that the challenge lacked sufficient evidence to show that the company would not be able to comply with the odor standards.
Daybreak Foods, according to the WATTAgNet Top Poultry Companies Database, had a flock of 13 million hens in 2017. It is a privately-held company that is involved in shell egg and egg products production.
