In agreement with EPA, Perdue will help its contract poultry farmers limit water pollution

Perdue Farms has agreed with the Environmental Protection Agency "to implement a four-year program aimed at protecting waters in the mid-Atlantic and Southeast" over the next four years, reports Janie Gabbett of MeatingPlace. "The agreement grew out of a pilot program initiated by EPA and Perdue on the Delmarva Peninsula in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia," Gabbett writes. The agreement is especially important for the Chesapeake Bay.

"Beginning in 2007, EPA and Perdue provided training and assistance to the largest independent contract poultry farms growing for Perdue throughout the peninsula," EPA said in a press release. The training helps farmers control water runoff and manage chicken litter. Under the agreement, each Perdue plant will have a management system "to reduce environmental impacts and increase operating efficiency," EPA said. "The initiative also will include an awards program to recognize poultry farms that demonstrate environmental excellence in protecting and restoring waterways." For a copy of the agreement, click here.