Sanderson Farms has announced a fresh agreement on the processing of chickens for US poultry peer House of Raeford Farms.

In February, a House of Raeford Farms facility in Teachey in North Carolina was damaged by fire and Sanderson has been “assisting” the business on an interim basis.

The longer-term deal lasts until mid-December while House of Raeford Farms rebuilds the facility. Sanderson will buy, process and sell chickens grown by House of Raeford Farms at its own site in the state in St Pauls.

Joe F. Sanderson, Jr., the chairman and CEO of Sanderson Farms, said: “We believe this processing agreement will be beneficial to Sanderson Farms. Our St. Pauls facility just commenced production in January, and our new managers and employees will gain valuable training and processing experience with this accelerated production schedule. We hope to benefit from favorable chicken markets as we head into the busy summer months.”