U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Hull) has joined U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and other Midwest lawmakers in demanding answers from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack regarding the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s $46 million investment in Pure Prairie Poultry, which filed for bankruptcy in late September. The lawmakers’ letter, sent last Friday, questions the USDA’s oversight after the company’s collapse left approximately 1.3 million broiler chickens in Iowa without proper care. Feenstra says, “Iowa taxpayers deserve to know the full story behind the Pure Prairie Poultry bankruptcy and how the USDA approved nearly $46 million in taxpayer dollars for a company that left millions of chickens uncared for. This serious lack of oversight is extremely concerning and has caused massive uncertainty for our growers, who are already facing a harsh farm economy.” Secretary Mike Naig and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) stepped in to manage the abandoned chickens, concluding their depopulation last week after failed sale attempts. A link to the legislators’ full letter is included below.
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