Other North Carolina counties want to lure Sanderson Farms plant

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  Andrea Gantz

  Several counties in North Carolina have expressed an interest in attracting a Sanderson Farms poultry plant.

  From WATTAgNet:
  Several counties in North Carolina have expressed an interest in having Sanderson Farms build a new poultry processing plant. Sanderson Farms had been eyeing locating a plant in Cumberland County, North Carolina, but those plans appear to be halted after the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners decided against offering the poultry company an incentive package to locate there.
  Pic Billingsley, director of development and engineering for Sanderson Farms, said the company is now weighing several options for a new chicken plant site.
  "We've got several different options available to us that we will be looking into," Billingsley said. "So it would be premature for me to speculate on that at this point."
  According to documents, Sampson, Hoke, Robeson and Harnett counties, all in North Carolina, had offered sites to Sanderson Farms.
  Officials from Sampson, Robeson and Harnett counties told the Fayetteville Observer they are still interested in luring a Sanderson Farms plant. Harnett and Sampson counties are looking at potential sites for a proposed plant, while Robeson County EDC Director Greg Cummings said economic development officials are waiting to hear from Sanderson Farms and the state Department of Commerce, which initially pointed Sanderson Farms to Cumberland County, in hopes of landing the facility. If the company and commerce department want to proceed with surrounding counties, the department will ask the county to submit a list of proposed sites.
  The Observer also reported that counties from Virginia have also expressed an interest in attracting the Sanderson Farms operation.