Stinky meat plant won’t move, will close permanently. Fresno advocates declare victory
A southwest Fresno meat-rendering plant that neighbors have complained about for decades will permanently close after the deal to relocate fell apart in recent weeks, according to advocates for local residents.
Texas-based Darling Ingredients neared its goal in tax credits in August and looked to be moving its plant from 795 W. Belgravia Ave. to a more far-flung location in rural Fresno County.
Instead, the plant will shut down permanently as part of a new agreement with the Concerned Citizens of West Fresno, the group that sued the owner of the foul-smelling plant in 2012.
The citizens group, the city and Darling were in routine negotiations related to the move before the company decided to close the plant altogether, according to Rick Elrod, executive vice president of Darling Ingredients U.S.A.
The Fresno County Superior Court approved the new agreement on March 18, a day after the city of Fresno asked the court to intervene in the flailing negotiations, according to the Concerned Citizens legal counsel.
Advocates declared the new agreement as a victory, according to Mary Curry, who heads Concerned Citizens.
“Because of strong support from the city, our legal team and the greater community, the closing of Darling will bring much needed relief for many families who suffer multiple health problems, including asthma and other respiratory issues,” she said in a statement. “The entire community will be the beneficiary of the closure of one of our community’s most notorious nuisances.”
The old plan showed signs of falling apart in February when the corporation confirmed part of the tax-sharing agreement had fallen through.
Under the new plan, the Fresno operation will cease by the end of 2023, according to the Concerned Citizens legal counsel, Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability and California Rural Legal Assistance.
Darling has another six months after the plant stops operating to decommission and clean the facility, according to a news release. The Darling company has agreed to pay the Concerned Citizens group $10,000 a day if it is late closing the plant.
Officials with Darling said they are looking at options for replacing the plant’s output, which include locating in another community or expanding operations in other locations.
“It is an unfortunate event for our employees who have worked so diligently over the years,” Darling CEO Randall C. Stuewe said in a statement. “It is also an unfortunate event given the critical role that Darling plays in the California food system.”
The Darling company is a huge corporation, making $3.4 billion in the last fiscal year, according to Forbes, and employing nearly 10,000 people. The Fresno plant employs about two dozen.
The closed plant could mean new opportunities for housing, green space, economic development and healthy air quality in West Fresno, according to Ashley Werner, senior attorney with Leadership Counsel.
“The Darling plant’s closure is a testament to the power and persistence of CCWF and West Fresno residents in their advocacy for the fair and equal treatment of their community,” she said. “ ... City leaders must continue the work of addressing historic injustices impacting West Fresno by seizing these opportunities in partnership with community residents.”
The effort to move the foul-smelling plant has been a long road marked by multiple lawsuits. Neighbors have complained for 60 years about the plant that takes animal byproducts – like leftover fat, bones and other parts – from slaughterhouses and meat-packing plants before processing it into ingredients for animal food, fertilizer and fuel.
The Fresno City Council had earmarked $1 million toward moving the plant out of the city. That money is on Thursday’s council agenda to be potentially reprogrammed toward efforts related to coronavirus in southwest Fresno.
Fresno Councilmember Miguel Arias said he is working with Mayor Lee Brand on a plan related to the coronavirus in a part of town that has lacked investment and is underprivileged.
“COVID-19 is the latest evidence of the dire need for such an investment in the health of our most vulnerable,” Arias said in a statement.
This story was originally published April 20, 2020 at 1:59 PM.
