SHARPS CHAPEL, Tenn. — The Sharps Chapel community in Union County will soon be welcoming new neighbors. At the cross-section of some Sharps Chapel roads, excavation is underway.
Up to 72,000 chickens will be moving into the new Alpes Sanfer Pharmaceutical Egg Facility. These hens will lay pathogen-free eggs used for vaccine research. The only issue, is some community members don't want it nearby.
Alpes Sanfer is one of Mexico's leading independent pharmaceutical companies. They have facilities in Mexico. Union County will be their first U.S. location. The 110-acre site of the new facility holds historic value to some community members.
"My whole life that red barn has been there, and this is just beautiful farmland," said Becky Nix.
She grew up in the Sharps Chapel area. She is also one of the community members who is opposed to the egg facility.
"It's not going to be beautiful farmland anymore. it's going to be concrete buildings," Nix said.
The excavation of the property started in November 2022, said the owner of Alpes Sanfer, Jose Luis Aviles. He said they hope to finish construction by August and start operations by September 2023.
The timeline is moving fast, and Aviles said he wasn't expecting pushback.
"We're very concerned because we don't understand the opposition to our project. Our project is complying with all the rules and all the regulations," Aviles said. "We don't see the problem."
But, some community members see a lot of potential problems.
"We are concerned about how it will impact our water, air and wildlife. We have researched how other communities have been impacted," Nix said.
For people who oppose the egg facility, one of the biggest concerns is the preservation of Norris Lake, which is just a few miles from the location of the facility.
"It's more than what we see here. The sadness is what we feel like it's probably going to do to this community," Nix said.
Nix, alongside several others in the Sharps Chapel area, organized a non-profit called the Norris Lake Protection Alliance (NLPA). The organization's goal is to advocate for the environmental preservation of the waterway.
"We've raised money to purchase equipment to continuously monitor our water, we will partner with environmental laboratories to provide testing of air, soil and water," Nix said.
Nix said the NLPA has spoken with several government agencies, including the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).
"They have told us they will not be monitoring this facility. They don't have to until there is a problem. That is when they get involved," Nix said. "So, when it's too late, or it's irreversible, and something is in our water, only then can we make a report. That's when they'll get involved."
The NLPA said they just want oversight.
"If there's any word that I want to use here today, it is 'oversight.' We're here because there is none," Nix said.
However, Russ Larsen, a representative with Alpes Sanfer, said the company does have regulations and rules to follow.
"There will be audits performed by the pharmaceutical companies themselves that are using this product. And so we will have a quality control system," Larsen said. "As far as the USDA (or other agencies), they will only come if there's an incident because the regulations that we must adhere to are the production protocols for the vaccine manufacturer of vaccines."
From our reporting in early 2022, we found 72,000 chickens have the power to produce about 10,000 pounds of poop a day. That was another concern of residents. Larsen spoke about the company's waste management plan.
"The fecal material will be removed from each house, probably three times per week," Larsen said.
He reiterated the company's commitment to give some of that manure away to local farmers as fertilizer, as well. In 2022, the company also said it will bring in about 30 jobs to the Sharps Chapel community and will be hiring at around $15 an hour.
"This county needs jobs and that's a start. It's 30 jobs, but my goodness, we've never had any jobs in Sharps Chapel," said Jeff Brantley last year, a Union County commissioner.
He has been one of the most vocal commissioners in support of the egg facility. The company also said they assured there would be no environmental issues.
"The negative impact on the environment is zero," Aviles said.
But, some community members fear the worst.
"When that red barn goes down, it is going to be a tough day," Nix said.