The Gadsden Airport Authority in Gadsden, Alabama, unanimously voted down a proposal from Pilgrim’ Pride for the company to build a poultry rendering plant on industrial property on the Northeast Alabama Airport in Gadsden.
The proposed project has been a controversial one, with numerous community members opposing it. In June, Pilgrim’s Pride made a proposal to the authority to acquire the land for $1,100,000 or enter a 30-year lease for $55,000 a year. A group of local business leaders opposed to the project later made an offer to acquire the land for $1,200,000 or enter a 30-year lease for $60,000.
According to a report from The Gadsden Times, the authority recently voted to deny both offers.
Through its attorney, Jim Williams, issued a statement that called on those who have filed lawsuits against the authority regarding their opposition to Pilgrim’s Pride’s proposal, to withdraw those lawsuits, saying, "all issues regarding the proposed developments are now resolved."
After hearing of the opposition of the proposed plant, U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Alabama, got involved, and urged the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) not to give any approvals for the project. Aderholt later heard back from the FAA, and the agency said a poultry rendering plant could become a “hazardous wildlife attractant.”
Aderholt on December 17 praised the airport authority for its decision, while also offering support for Pilgrim’s Pride.
“I commend the Gadsden Airport Authority for this vote. The people of Gadsden and Etowah County had made it clear they did not feel this was the right fit for this particular piece of property. Also, in the conversations that I facilitated between the Federal Aviation Administration and those for the project and those against, it was abundantly clear the FAA is not likely now, or in the future, to approve a proposal like this. There is just too much potential for dangerous impact on aviation,” Aderholt said in a statement.
“I look forward to helping in any way I can from the federal level to bring other types of development to the airport and also in helping Pilgrims find a more suitable location for their rendering plant.”
