US: Perdue Farms shifts focus to organic production

US poultry producer, Perdue Farms, is consolidating production from the Booth Creek Natural Chicken (BCNC) plant in Fredericksburg, Pa., to modernised plants with the capability and capacity to better serve customers for its Coleman and customer-owned organic and no-antibiotics-ever brands.

“As we increased our focus on premium brands and products, we freed up capacity across our supply chain, which lead us to look at how we could align our assets to more efficiently serve all of our customers,” said Lester Gray, senior vice president of operations for Perdue Foods.

“When we looked at our long-term needs, it became clear that the BCNC plant would require significant and costly upgrades, and even then, we would not overcome the age and physical limitations of the facility,” said Gray.

These changes will have no impact on the company’s organic live production in Pennsylvania. Perdue will continue organic chicken production with the same local farmers, USDA certified organic feed ingredient suppliers and organic feed manufacturing, and local hatchery. The company plans to work with its other Pennsylvania growers to transition them to organic production. Perdue Farms is also contracting with Pennsylvania farmers as it develops a breeder operation in the state.

“These moves are part of an ongoing strategy to focus on premium brands and products in the USDA Process Verified All-Vegetarian Fed, No-Antibiotics-Ever, and Organic segments, while increasing efficiencies in an ever-more competitive marketplace,” said chairman Jim Perdue.