Perdue Farms has eliminated 118 jobs, most of which were considered “overhead positions,” the company confirmed on April 12.
The cuts represent about 0.6 percent of Perdue’s workforce, as the company had about 21,000 employees, Perdue Farms spokesperson Andrea Staub said in an emailed statement.
“A decision like this, affecting our associates and their families, is something we take very seriously, and please be assured it’s not made lightly,” Staub wrote.
“All affected associates received a severance package and outplacement services to help them navigate the job market.”
The decision came just days after Perdue Farms announced the completion of a $25 million expansion at its poultry complex in Dillon County, South Carolina, which created 100 jobs.
Perdue Farms, according to the WATT PoultryUSA Top Poultry Companies survey, is the fourth largest broiler company in the United States, having processed 64.42 million pounds of ready-to-cook chicken on a weekly basis in 2018, which was roughly a 2.5 percent increase from the pounds produced in 2017.
Also involved in turkey production, Perdue ranks seventh among U.S. turkey companies, slaughtering 291 million pounds of live turkeys on an annual basis, also according to the WATT PoultryUSA Top Poultry Companies survey.
It is also the eighth largest feed producer in the United States. It operates 12 feed mills, as well as associated businesses in feed commodity trading and processing. Perdue Farms produced 2.5 million metric tons of animal feed in 2017.
The company also has a small presence in the pork industry as the owner of the Sioux-Preme Packing Co. and the Niman Ranch, Prairie Grove and Coleman Natural brands.
According to the Perdue Farms website, it is a fourth-generation, family owned, U.S. food and agriculture company, which will observe its 100th anniversary in 2020. The company’s headquarters are located in Salisbury, Maryland.
