While PSF's agreement with the state of Missouri set a final deadline of 31 July 2012, to complete the installation of new barn scraper technology, the final installation took place on 29 December 2011. In total, installation costs of the Next Generation barn scraper technology exceeded $7M.

"Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our employees, we're proud to announce completion of this ambitious project fully seven months early, well ahead of the original schedule," said Bill Homann, director of administration and compliance for Premium Standard Farms.

"A great deal of perseverance and cooperation on the part of the state and our company went into this project over the past ten years, and now that it's completed we believe we are setting the standard for environmental technology," Mr Homann said.

"In fact, our production employees and environmental staff experts are very happy with how well the Next Generation Technology is working. The systems are exceeding our expectations and providing a very positive impact," he added.

"Perhaps most significantly, we're also very pleased that the combined efforts of the state, the advisory panel and PSF in implementing Next Generation Technology helped preserve hundreds of jobs in north Missouri," Mr Homann said.

Premium Standard Farms estimated that it has spent a total of more than $49 million to install improved environmental technologies, including the previous installation of lagoon covers, treatment facilities, and land application technologies, equipment and practices that are among the most advanced in the US.