Pilgrim's Pride To Shut Down Boaz Plant, Idle 1,200 Workers

BOAZ, Ala. — Colorado-based Pilgrim's Pride Corp. is closing a poultry plant that employs about 1,200 people in north Alabama, local officials said Tuesday, another blow to a region already dealing with job losses.

While the company didn't immediately comment, Mayor Tim Walker and state Sen. Clay Scofield said executives informed them of the decision during a meeting at the plant in Boaz, where Pilgrim's Pride is the largest employer.

Walker was livid afterward. Area utilities spent millions upgrading services to the plant after Pilgrim's Pride moved in about six years ago, he said, and the company then requested rate cuts to reduce costs.

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