THE EMPIRE IS NOT SO PURE!

Empire Kosher Fined Almost $100,000 For Repeat Environmental Violations
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com

America’s largest kosher poultry producer, Empire Kosher Poultry located in in Mifflintown, Pennsylvania, was fined $99,000 by the state’s Department of Environmental Protection for repeated violations that began in 2008, the JTA reported.

The violations included chemical spills, discharge of untreated industrial wastewater into a river, improper storage of solid waste, the failure to report some unauthorized discharges to state authorities as required by law, and improper record keeping.

In May 2008, Empire was cited for having dysfunctional dissolved-air-flotation machines, not maintaining proper records, failing to provide secondary containment around storage containers in the feather pit, and having chemical spills and process waste in the feather pit, according to the JTA.

On March 15, 2013 Empire was reportedly cited for an unreported industrial wastewater spill.

As had previously, Empire reportedly told state authorities that it would take the necessary actions to correct the problem.

On May 28, Empire reportedly agreed to pay the fines, which total $99,000, in installments over a five month period.

An email from Failedmessiah.com to an Empire spokesperson has not yet been answered.

Agriprocessors, once the largest kosher meat producer in North America, had frequent repeated serious state and federal EPA violations that resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines and in Agriprocessors settling litigation by agreeing to pay for a new waste treatment facility to serve its Postville, Iowa processing plant and the town.

Other kosher and non-kosher meat and poultry processors have had serious EPA problems, as well, including the kosher poultry processing plant adjacent to Kiryas Joel, the Satmar hasidic village located just north of New York City in Orange County, New York.