Fresh diced chicken fillet with parsley isolated on white background with clipping path and full depth of field.

Perdue to Close Monterey, Tennessee, Processing Plant

Jan. 21, 2025

Closure of the facility will result in job losses for more than 430 employees.

Perdue Farms will close its Monterey, Tenn., chicken processing facility effective March 28, 2025, according to various local news reports. The shutdown is expected to result in more than 430 people losing their jobs at the plant.

Perdue said in a statement that the plant is closing due to changes in market demand as well as production and supply chain impacts on the facility over recent years — and the company’s decision to not commit additional future investments to maintaining operations at the plant.

The facility has been in operation for about 40 years, another news outlet noted. Perdue will provide severance packages beyond the standard level of pay, as well as job placement assistance to the workers there, the company said.

Local officials are planning a career fair for the employees as well, as reported by one news outlet, and asked other local businesses to share any job openings they may have.

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.