High cost to compost poultry after Hurricane Florence

The State of North Carolina paid between $11 million and $13 million to compost chickens and turkeys that were lost to Hurricane Florence in September, the state’s agriculture commissioner said. During a recent presentation to state legislators, North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner said the storm and subsequent flooding was responsible for the death of about 4 million birds. The primary expense involved was for sawdust, which was mixed with the poultry carcasses for the composting process, reported WRAL.Adding to the sawdust-related costs to have it shipped in. While most of the sawdust came from North and South Carolina, some had to be transported from as far away as Oklahoma. When questioned by one legislator whether the state could have sought bids for sawdust, Troxler said that if it would have done so, it would have prolonged the process.Even though the expense did seem excessive to some lawmakers, the state remained well under the budget of $20 million, which was approved by the administration of Gov. Roy Cooper.