With its two lines operating at full production, the facility can produce as much as 50 tonnes of poultry feed hourly. The mill serves more then 100 of Aviagen's Breeding Stock farms in Northern Alabama and Tennessee.

As part of most recent US$3 million expansion, the company installed the world’s largest Hygieniser, a-state-of-the-art pellet feed system manufactured by California Pellet Mill Company that thermally treats feed to eliminate pathogens.

Installed in June, the custom-built Hygieniser features the latest innovations for pathogen prevention and joins another existing Hygieniser system. With two Hygienisers in place, the Athens facility has increased it’s maximum capacity from 30 tonnes to 50 tonnes hourly.

According to Aviagen, the facility continues to follow strict biosecurity protocols to ensure that pelletised and crumbled feed is free from contaminants that could threaten the health of broiler breeding flocks.

These include the use of positive-pressure ventilation in it’s feed mill facilities and other best practices developed to completely isolate feed from atmospheric contaminants, including contact with wild birds or other animals.

Aviagen was said to be the first poultry company in the US to design a feed mill capable of eliminating and preventing recontamination of feed with salmonella and other relevant enteric pathogens.

“At a time when avian flu and other threats have elevated concerns about the biosecurity of the poultry industry in the US and elsewhere, Aviagen is continuing to take extraordinary steps to protects the health and well-being of birds in its care," said Kevin McDaniel, the president of Aviagen North America.

“By expanding capacity and installing the largest and most bio-secure Hygieniserever built, we’re meeting the growing demand of our internal flocks while simultaneously protecting the food supply for birds at more than 100 internal farms.”