BRIEFS. agriculture

Blackout blamed for massive chicken death

More than 27,000 chickens died at a poultry farm in Santa Clara Arriba due to a power failure caused by a blackout that occurred at approximately 9 a.m. this past Sunday. Because the chickens were raised in controlled environments with air conditioning, the lack of energy in the plant caused the death of the animals by asphyxia.

A source linked to the Sofer family, owner of the Santa Clara and Coclé Poultry farms, reported that managers of the farms attempted to report the failure to the electricity provider Union Fenosa, but claimed that no one answered. According to the family, service was not restored until 2 p.m. The chickens that died, weighing in at 5 to 6 pounds, were prime for market sale, and as such, resulted in estimated losses of up to $120,000.

It is believed that the blackout could have been caused by the strong winds that hit the region over the weekend. However, Union Fenosa could not be reached for confirmation, so the issue of who, in fact, is responsible for the deaths and the losses remains pending.

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