Ag News
Pilgrim's to build pet food ingredient plant in Franklin County
Posted on Mar 02, 2021 at 19:00 PM
On Feb. 25, Pilgrim’s Pride announced plans to invest $70 million to build a state-of-the-art pet food ingredient plant in Franklin County. The new plant will create 90 permanent jobs, as well as 100 construction and trades jobs during development of the facility. Pilgrim’s estimates the plant will have a $65 million annual economic impact on the region through direct and indirect spending. The project will generate more than $1 million annually in local tax revenue, helping to fund county services and local schools.
The pet food ingredient plant will be built on a site adjacent to Interstate 85 near Carnesville and will employ the most advanced technologies available to protect Franklin County’s natural resources. That technology includes:
· The most advanced available odor-elimination technology to prevent odors from leaving the property site.
· An on-site water treatment plant to meet Pilgrim’s high clean water standards and exceed state requirements. This treatment includes the cleaning of process water and storm water that falls on hard surfaces outside.
· Indoor receiving bays so trucks are unloaded completely inside and cleaned before leaving the plant.
Pilgrim’s already has a significant presence in Georgia, employing more than 8,000 people and paying local growers more than $152 million each year to support its facilities in the state. An important contributor to the state’s economy, Pilgrim’s has an annual payroll in Georgia of more than $440 million and contributed nearly $270 million in capital investments over the last five years.
The plant will be used primarily for the production of pet food ingredients by processing chicken byproducts—an essential part of keeping the poultry industry producing at levels necessary to meet high and rising consumer demand. By processing chicken byproducts instead of dumping them in a landfill, Pilgrim’s is helping protect Georgia’s environment.
More information on the proposed plant can be found at www.ThinkFranklin.com.
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