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Plans for Iowa pork plant hit a snag

Plans for construction of a new pork processing plant in Mason City, Iowa have hit a snag.

In a late night vote, the Mason City City Council rejected a development agreement with Prestage Farms and its subsidiary, Prestage Foods of Iowa. According a National Hog Farmer report, Prestage can still move forward with its plans to build the plant, but would do so without the financial incentive package.

Opponents of the processing plant, led by the group Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, are concerned about environmental issues and the influx of workers the plant would bring to the area. Prestage officials say the plant would employ as many as one-thousand people and process 10-thousand hogs a day.