The company that runs what is commonly known as the chicken processing plant in Monterey has announced plans to shut down its Putnam County plant.

Kate Shaw, Senior Director of Corporate Communications at Perdue Farms, sent the Herald-Citizen an email Thursday afternoon announcing the closure.

“Perdue Foods, a 105-year-old, family-owned leader in food and agriculture, has announced it will close its Monterey, Tennessee facility on March 28, 2025,” the company said in a press release. “This decision comes after a thorough strategic business and financial review of the plant’s performance and its future viability.”  According to the release, the decision comes “as part of the company’s overall focus on continuous improvement and modernization of its supply chain to meet evolving consumer demands and operational needs.”

“Changes in market demand and how the company produces and supplies its products have impacted the Monterey facility in recent years,” the release notes. “Addressing these challenges would require substantial additional investments to maintain operations.”

As a result of the closure, the company said 433 positions in Monterey will be eliminated.

Perdue purchased the plant, then known as Gol-Pak and formerly as Fast Food Merchandisers, in 1998.

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