Pilgrim’s Pride plans to invest $70 million in a new pet food ingredient plant just outside Carnesville.
CARNESVILLE – Pilgrim’s Pride plans to invest $70 million in a new pet food ingredient plant just outside Carnesville.
“The new plant will create 90 permanent, good-paying jobs in Franklin County, as well as 100 construction and trades jobs during development of the facility,” a press release from the company announced today. “Pilgrim’s estimates that the plant, upon completion, 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 company plans to build the new plant – Pilgrim’s first new facility since 1991 – on 110 acres off of Highway 320 near its intersection with I-85 just outside Carnesville.
“We’re pretty excited here at Pilgrim’s,” Pilgrim’s Head of Corporate Affairs Cameron Bruett said. “This is a significant expansion for the state of Georgia and for Franklin County. I don’t think it’s everyday that a $70 million project is proposed in Franklin County.”
The company chose Carnesville because it is “ideally situated from the standpoint of being in the heart of poultry country,” he said.
The new facility will take in leftover chicken byproducts from its other processing plants and convert them into ingredients for pet food.
By doing so, the company hopes to create more value from its products, Bruett said.
On most days, an average of between two and three truckloads of byproducts will arrive each hour at the plant, information from the company says. There will be no little to no traffic on other days, including Sundays, the company said. (This has been corrected from the initial story due to a reporting error. The error was pointed out by Pilgrim's Pride.)
The plant will use “the most advanced available odor-elimination technology to prevent odors from leaving the property site,” the press release said.
Trucks will be covered and only unloaded inside the facility and cleaned before leaving.
“The building is designed to be kept at negative pressure, containing odors in the facility,” the press release said. “The facility will employ a thermal oxidizer, which is 99 percent effective at collecting and destroying [volatile organic compounds], meaning discharge is odorless.”
In addition to the plant, the company will build its own sewage treatment plant on site to treat its wastewater to exceed state standards.
“Pilgrim’s is pleased to announce this significant investment in Franklin County, which will grow our company’s already substantial footprint in Georgia,” said Mark Glover, head of Pilgrim’s protein conversion division, in the press release. “Following all necessary reviews and approvals from Franklin County and state officials, the plant built here will be truly state-of-the-art, ensuring that jobs and positive economic development are created in a way that safeguards and promotes the sustainable use of natural resources.”
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.
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 Industrial Building Authority has been working with Pilgrim’s for more than a year on the expansion.
“In the 13 months Franklin County Industrial Development Authority has been in discussions with Pilgrim’s, I have visited multiple sites that are home to pet food ingredient plants built with the most advanced available technology,” Franklin County IBA Chairman Lee Moore said in a press release. “Those site visits, coupled with careful examination of the technology that this plant will be built with, give me great confidence that Pilgrim’s investment in Franklin County will not only create significant positive economic impact, but will also promote sustainability and protect our quality of life.”
The company will not receive any tax abatements for locating the plant in Franklin County and will sign a memorandum of understanding with the IBA that details the company’s commitments.
Today’s announcement will begin a long process to secure approval for the plant.
Pilgrim’s has applied to Franklin County to rezone the two pieces of property that will make up the facility’s site for commercial industrial use.
One of the parcels is currently zoned agriculture intensive and the other commercial general.
The company has also applied for a conditional use permit to develop the plant.
The Franklin County Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a hearing on the plan March 18 at 5 p.m. at the Franklin County Justice Center.
The planning board will make a recommendation to Franklin County commissioners on the zoning requests.
Commissioners will hold a hearing on the plant April 5 at 5 p.m. in the Franklin County High School Auditorium.
A number of state and federal permits must also be obtained.
Pilgrim’s expects to break ground in about a year from now. Construction of the plant and infrastructure will take 18-24 months.
Bruett said the company has seen industries in Franklin County that haven’t kept their promises and that Pilgrim’s is committed to building a state of the art facility.
“We want to be held accountable, we want to be good neighbors and we want to create good value for Franklin County and great economic opportunity for local citizens,” Bruett said.
Pilgrim’s has a vested interest in doing the right thing in Georgia and will continue to do so, he said.
“These types of opportunities don’t come around everyday,” Bruett said. “We take that very seriously. We understand the responsibility that’s on our shoulders. We’re going to take it on and do the right thing. We’re going to create something pretty impressive for Franklin County.”