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Insurance Programs for Poultry Industry Weighed in Washington

Senator Chris Coons is co-sponsoring legislation that would establish two studies looking at the need for insurance programs to protect poultry growers from disease outbreaks or bankruptcies of poultry companies.

The Salisbury Daily Times reports that his Delaware Colleague Tom Carper and Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski  have joined him in backing the measure.

But Maryland Senator Ben Cardin is still mulling over whether to support the amendment to the Farm bill.

Coons says that between the recession and the volatile cost of chicken feed there are a large number of factors that are beyond the control of local farmers and poultry integrators.

He noted that the bankruptcy of Allen Family Foods last year where 120 farmers were put at risk was an example of that kind of uncertainty.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.