Neighbors Split Over Proposed Poultry Slaughterhouse On Long Island

TOWN OF ISLIP, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A proposal to build a poultry slaughterhouse is sparking a major controversy in one Long Island town.

Some savor the thought of fresh, locally sourced meats. Others call it an environmental disaster.

How their Thanksgiving turkeys arrive at their home is something few people want to dwell on, but slaughtering poultry is a way of life for some farmers.

"We've been here so long, before the expressway and before Route 25," said farmer Mark Miloski. "Everything was grandfathered in, we've had the same slaughterhouse since the beginning - since 1946."

Miloski's Poultry Farm, known for its poultry sold fresh, has a loyal following on Long Island's east end. They boast 35 acres of free range grazing, with the processing tucked away from view.

West of there, a developer hopes to turn a patch of land into his own poultry slaughterhouse in the densely populated Town of Islip.

Proponents say the public's appetite for locally grown farm to table foods make a meat processing factory of their own a good investment, but that's stirring controversy from some neighbors who don't want the town to make money that way.

"I want the board to know, there's pollution in the water, the air, the soil, the natural habitat of the animal is affected," Islip resident Keri Michel said.

Other say they want the zoning board to know their town is "a place of animal lovers, not a place of animal slaughter."

A public hearing on the slaughterhouse proposal will be held next Tuesday.

CBS2 reports slaughterhouses require continuous federal inspection, are highly regulated, and must comply with the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act.