COVID-19 Acutely Impacted the Delmarva Poultry Industry in Early 2020

Early community spread of COVID-19 presented a public health crisis and Delmarva’s essential workforce at the poultry processing plants. Plant workers in May 2020 were struggling to adapt to exposure risk and illness in the workforce. Furthermore, pressures of an unfamiliar marketplace strained the supply and demand linkages in poultry processing. By utilizing strategies to meaningfully slow the supply of chicken at the processing plant, farm and hatchery, supply was slowed without stopping. This ensured security in the food supply, but jeopardized farmers raising these livestock. After weeks of processing adjustments, some chicken farms were depopulated as a last resort to protect their welfare. The remains of the depopulated flocks presented a risk to public health from environmental externalities. Across the Delmarva peninsula, carcasses were composted in the housing in which they were raised along with feed, bedding and manure, and high-carbon material, and were carefully monitored to reduce environmental impacts. Compost is recycled into a resource and can be utilized safely on farms for soil conditioning, like organic fertilizer, rather than presenting an environmental disaster.