Crawley pressure group nears triumph

A poultry pressure group is succeeding in its ploy to bring more fast-food fried chicken to Crawley.

 Tired of waiting in long queues outside Crawley's tiny and frequently overcrowded KFC, local resident Lee Martin formed an online campaign group.

 "Crawley Needs a KFC Drive Thru" now has more than 700 members.

 The group can now taste glory after KFC bosses got in touch.

 KFC spokesman Paul Stokes said, "We do indeed have a very strong requirement for Crawley. London Road is a target location”

Top US chicken producer files for bankruptcy

America's biggest chicken producer, Pilgrim's Pride, has filed for bankruptcy protection.

Difficulty extending it's credit lines, combined with soaring grain prices has forced the Texan company to negotiate a $450 million financial package from the Bank of Montreal.

The money would be used to pay the wages of its 48,000 staff and continue the daily operation of its 35 chicken-processing plants.

The company has warned investors that it would report a loss of $802 million for the fourth quarter.