THOUSANDS of chickens have been killed or injured following a truck rollover in Tamworth in the early hours of yesterday morning.
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The accident happened along Manilla Rd when the truck, with two trailers, veered off the road and ploughed down a steep embankment.
It is understood the truck was carrying about 5300 broiler chickens to a nearby Baiada processing facility.
Inspector Kylie Endemi, from Oxley Police, said half of the birds were either killed in the accident or later put down.
“The remainder of the chickens sustained some damage and only a very small amount of them were still in a usable state.”
There were interruptions to traffic in the area throughout the morning as the recovery operation began to right the vehicle and remove its load.
It is believed the live birds were transported to a processor and the deceased birds were transported to a secondary processor.
The truck driver was conveyed to Tamworth hospital for assessment suffering minor injuries.
Investigations into the cause of the accident are under way.
Biosecurity concerns as a result of the accident have been ruled out, Ms Endemi said.