Pilgrim’s Pride Shutting Georgia Plant

Bankrupt Pilgrim’s Pride will close its Dalton, Georgia, chicken processing plant, laying off 280 employees.

The Pittsburg, Texas-based company will shutter the Dalton facility within 60 days, and move production to Chattanooga, Tennessee. Contract growers who supply birds to the Dalton plant will supply the company’s Chattanooga plant or other facilities, within about 90 days.

Pilgrim’s Pride, once the largest US chicken producer, was forced to seek bankruptcy protection in December. The pilgrims aren’t so proud of that.

In March, the company sold its Farmerville, Louisiana, processing facility to California’s Foster Farms for $80 million.