Henderson Co. residents voice concerns over Tyson chicken farm

HURON, Tenn. — Residents of Henderson County want their voice heard, and they say they want to protect their community from an incoming business.

Several residents of the county gathered together at Westover Elementary School Saturday morning to peacefully protest the Tyson Foods mega chicken farms being built in their community.

Many residents stressed their concern for the farms being built.

They say it could cause property value to go down, could create health issues and make it an unsafe environment for children.

“I’m fighting for my kids. I want them to be able to play in their driveway. We live in country roads. They ride bicycles down the road. You’ve got an 18 wheeler coming at 55 miles per hour. How many of our children are fixing to be killed?” said community resident Karissa White.

Residents say they will have to get used to a new normal of not being able to enjoy the country living they moved to Henderson County for from the start.

“I put in a pool two years ago. I’m not even going to be able to sit out with our children and enjoy our pool because of the air quality and the smell. My husband and I spend every night sitting on our screened-in porch, just enjoying the sounds outside, the peacefulness,” said community resident Kat Remedies. “And we’re not going to be able to do that anymore.”

Henderson County Mayor Eddie Bray says he was not notified about Tyson’s plan to move forward with the factories until a week before the protest.

He says when someone buys a piece of land, the identity of the buyer is unknown.

Communications Manager for Tyson, Morgan Watchous reached out to WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News.

Watchous says they work to be a community partner, and says they are working closely with contract poultry farmers to ensure compliance and require contract farmers to follow state, federal and local laws

Community residents say the area is too populated for a farm this size.

They say they would rather see it be built in another part of West Tennessee where there is more space.