Owner of farm where chickens starved will not face charges
By
Posted 2:22PM on Thursday 12th September 2002 ( 22 years ago )
DADE CITY, FLORIDA - The owner of a bankrupt central Florida egg farm where thousands of chickens starved will not face animal cruelty charges. <br>
<br>
Prosecutors said Wednesday that they wouldn't pursue a case against James Biggers, chief executive officer of Cypress Foods, north of Tampa. <br>
<br>
Bruce Bartlett, chief assistant state attorney, said Biggers thought he had a deal to sell the company and save the chickens. However, it fell through at the last minute. <br>
<br>
Florida agriculture officials say 30,000 birds at Cypress Foods' Pasco County farm starved after their food was cut off for up to ten days. <br>
<br>
Officials said 170,000 other hens were in such poor condition they were euthanized. <br>
<br>
According to agriculture officials, the company filed for bankruptcy protection earlier this year, leaving about 1.4 million egg-laying hens in southeast Georgia and central Florida without feed.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/9/201919
© Copyright 2015 AccessNorthGa.com
All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.