Poultry producers are encouraged to attend the public hearing for Fournier Free Range Foods in Concord.  The City of Concord Planning Board is scheduled to meet Wednesday, October 1 at 7 p.m. in the Heights Community Center (14 Canterbury Road, Concord) to discuss the request for a major site plan approval at 52 Locke Road, off of Exit 16 from Interstate 93.

Fournier Foods, LLC is proposing to construct a small scale poultry processing facility that includes a 5,524 square foot covered outdoor storage area with parking and other associated site improvements.

This is a welcome addition to the local food movement. “There is an increasing demand for locally raised meat,” said New Hampshire Farm Bureau Federation President Jeff Holmes.  “Farm Bureau policy supports a viable livestock industry and to sustain that we need availability of processing facilities, particularly those offering USDA inspection.  This facility will be an asset to the farming community and will help meet the demand for local USDA poultry meat.”

It is anticipated that the facility will process up to 6,000 birds per day to aid in the growing demand for local poultry meat.  The plant will employ about 23 people and will follow USDA inspection with the use of HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) and SOP (Standardized Operating Procedures) protocol.

Opposition of the plant has been strong; residents have expressed concerns of odor, additional traffic and devaluation of nearby property.

Farm Bureau supports this proposal and encourages all local poultry farmers and local food enthusiasts to attend the public hearing.