In 2019, a controversy took place after emails came to light, showing that in 2016, a high-ranking aide to Moore had corresponded the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) about a Siler City chicken processing plant co-owned by Moore that was being offered for sale. At the aide's request, DEQ approved the plant's participation in a state subsidy program that provided $22,000 for the repair of a leaking underground storage tank at the factory, which may have aided in the sale of the plant. The revelation prompted the Campaign for Accountability to file a complaint with the North Carolina State Ethics Commission. Moore denied knowledge of the emails. A previous complaint against Moore regarding the Siler City chicken plant was dismissed in 2018.