Hurricane Florence apparently has caused more livestock losses than Hurricane Matthew two years ago

Hurricane Florence apparently has caused more livestock losses than Hurricane Matthew two years ago, as state officials and processing companies continue to assess the damage to operations and farms.The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is estimating preliminary livestock losses – from the storm making landfall and subsequent flooding – at 3.4 million poultry and 5,500 hogs. Officials at the agency called Florence “an unprecedented storm” that affected the top six agricultural counties in the state. Florence covered the same areas hit by Matthew in 2016.Reuters quoted North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler as saying hog losses were likely to exceed Matthew’s toll, based on the extent of flooding.Inspectors are waiting for floodwaters to recede to safe levels before making site visits. They are contacting companies to establish which areas will be prioritized, agency officials said in a news release. An estimated 1.8 million birds and 2,800 hogs died in the wake of Hurricane Matthew, the department reported.North Carolina is the nation’s second-largest producer of pork products and a major poultry producer, raising nearly 9 million pigs on 2,100 farms, according to the North Carolina Pork Council. The association noted that Hurricane Floyd caused the most storm-related hog losses in the state’s history, with 21,000 swine killed in the 1999 storm.