Insurer for Butterball Balks at Cleanup Coverage

Butterball, a major turkey producer in the United States, is in court over insurance coverage of a $3.5 million cleanup of pollution at a Carthage, Missouri, site. The insurer, Great American, claims that Butterball never listed the site as one covered by the policy. Butterball began cleaning the site when management became aware of unknown liquids leaking from unmarked tanks, overflowing containment areas, and other concerns at a site acquired in 2006. Butterball has since spent $3 million to remediate the site, but expects that another $500,000 will be necessary to complete the task.