Thread by @LHreports

Squeezed by strict regulations in The Netherlands, Dutch chicken giant Plukon took their model of industrialised poultry farming to France. It means less autonomy for French farmers, a full-stop to organic production methods & increasing local resistance

Following the acquisition of French poultry firm DUC by Plukon, @LHreports together w/ @Mediapart & @FTM_nl investigated how the drive for mass-produced chicken, has impacted the farmers and citizens around #Chailley in northern France

Plukon is reshaping the poultry industry in the area, doubling the capacity of the slaughterhouse in #Chailley to 265,000 chickens (113 daily truckloads). It aims for 80 new mega-farms in a region that already hosted 120

Analysing paper trails, like building licenses, our investigation found five sites that have either been established or are on the point of being established, while two others have been suspended due to local opposition

Part of the Plukon approach: standardisation. No certified or organic production. Just the fast growing Ross 308 chickens. It caught organic farmer Mathilde Godard by surprise & she rejected the new chickens. But she still has to see out the remaining 8 yrs of her 15 yr contract

Another farmer growing free-range chickens until recently accepted the Ross 308 as the new standard, but told @AmeliePoinssot he “would never eat that type of chicken”

“Farmers are at the mercy of the market, and therefore what the industry wants," said Den Herder, secretary of the Dutch Union of Poultry Producers (NVP). "Between the big corporations, slaughterhouses and feed companies, poultry farmers have few alternatives to fall back on”

The expansion has raised concerns locally over its environmental impact. “The Netherlands is now subject to stricter standards, while Plukon comes to do its dirty stuff here,” commented Catherine Schmitt, president of the association Yonne Nature Environnement

A @LHreports Food Systems newsroom investigation with @AmeliePoinssot @LukasKotkamp @LudoHekman @LiseWitteman

At @Mediapart: “Faced with these projects, fear and resistance set in,” writes @AmeliePoinssot who spoke to dozens of farmers and residents of the Yonne region.
mediapart.fr/journal/france…

At @FTM_nl: Consolidation in focus: Plukons compulsory Ross 308 is developed by EW group and poultry company De Heus is upping capacity in nearby region with 1.8 million chickens - to be slaughtered in #Chailley. Both have minority shares in Plukon ftm.nl/artikelen/holl…