A federal judge in Baltimore has ruled in favor of a chicken farmer in a pollution lawsuit that had broad implications for the state's poultry industry.

U.S. District Judge William Nickerson sided Thursday with Alan Hudson, who raises chickens for poultry giant Perdue.

He said a New York-based environmental group that sued Hudson failed to prove that Hudson's chicken-raising operation on his farm in Berlin polluted a nearby river.

Perdue spokeswoman Julie DeYoung said the company was pleased with the ruling, calling it a "good day for Maryland and for agriculture."