Pilgrim’s Pride to Consolidate Tray-Pack Business from El Dorado, Ark., Facility into Six Other Plants as Part of Ongoing Effort to Improve Efficiencies

 Approximately 600 Jobs to be Eliminated as El Dorado Facility Converts to

 Supply Plant; Company Also Plans to Close Distribution Center in El Paso,

                                   Texas



    PITTSBURG, Texas, July 15 /EMWNews-FirstCall/ -- Pilgrim's Pride

Corporation (NYSE: PPC) today announced plans to consolidate the tray-pack

chicken business from its El Dorado, Ark., processing plant into six other

case-ready facilities. Following the transition, which is expected to be

completed within 60 days, the El Dorado facility will operate as a supply

plant.



    Approximately 600 of the 1,215 positions at the El Dorado plant will be

eliminated by Sept. 19, 2008. Most of the positions eliminated will be

hourly jobs in chicken processing. Contract growers and employees in live

operations will not be affected. Pilgrim's Pride will provide transition

programs to employees whose positions are eliminated to assist them in

securing new employment, filing for unemployment and other applicable

benefits.



    "Since March, we have been conducting a thorough review of all our

production facilities to ensure we are operating as efficiently as possible

in response to the unprecedented challenges facing our company and our

industry," said Clint Rivers, Pilgrim's Pride president and chief executive

officer. "We are confident that the changes announced today, which conclude

the formal review of our operations, will help position Pilgrim's Pride as

a stronger competitor. By consolidating the tray-pack volume from El Dorado

into our six remaining case-ready plants, we can position our entire

case-ready division to operate more efficiently. As a supply plant, our El

Dorado facility will be able to take full advantage of its efficient

live-production cost structure to help us deliver even better value to our

customers."



    In April, Pilgrim's Pride acknowledged that the El Dorado plant was

among those being reviewed for possible closure or consolidation. Over the

past several months, the company had been working with elected officials

and the union representing members at the plant to improve its financial

performance. However, union members recently rejected proposed benefits

changes that would have made the plant more competitive.



    Separately, the company also announced plans to close its distribution

center in El Paso, Texas within the next 60 days. That facility employs

approximately 34 people. Following the closing, Pilgrim's Pride will

operate a total of six distribution centers in Texas, Arizona and Utah.



    "While the decision to close or consolidate locations is always

difficult, we believe the actions we are announcing today are absolutely

necessary for our business and our company," said Mr. Rivers.



    The company does not expect to incur any material financial charges

related to the announcements today.

    About Pilgrim's Pride



    Pilgrim's Pride Corporation is the largest chicken company in the

United States and Puerto Rico and the second-largest in Mexico. Pilgrim's

Pride employs approximately 53,500 people and operates 36 chicken

processing plants and 12 prepared-foods facilities. Pilgrim's Pride

products are sold to foodservice, retail and frozen entree customers. The

Company's primary distribution is through retailers, foodservice

distributors and restaurants throughout the United States and Puerto Rico

and in the Northern and Central regions of Mexico. For more information,

please visit http://www.pilgrimspride.com.






    Media Contact:     Ray Atkinson

                       Director, Corporate Communications

                       (903) 434-1811



    Investor Contact:  Gary Rhodes

                       Vice President, Corporate Communications & Investor

                       Relations

                       (903) 434-1495

    Forward-Looking Statements



    Statements contained in this press release that state the intentions,

plans, hopes, beliefs, anticipations, expectations or predictions of the

future of Pilgrim's Pride Corporation and its management, including as to

changes in pricing, demand and market conditions for chicken products and

profitability, are forward-looking statements. It is important to note that

the actual results could differ materially from those projected in such

forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to

differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements

include: matters affecting the poultry industry generally, including

fluctuations in the commodity prices of feed ingredients, chicken and

turkey; additional outbreaks of avian influenza or other diseases, either

in our own flocks or elsewhere, affecting our ability to conduct our

operations and/or demand for our poultry products; contamination of our

products, which has previously and can in the future lead to product

liability claims and product recalls; exposure to risks related to product

liability, product recalls, property damage and injuries to persons, for

which insurance coverage is expensive, limited and potentially inadequate;

management of our cash resources, particularly in light of our substantial

leverage; restrictions imposed by, and as a result of, our substantial

leverage; changes in laws or regulations affecting our operations or the

application thereof; new immigration legislation or increased enforcement

efforts in connection with existing immigration legislation that cause our

costs of doing business to increase, cause us to change the way in which we

do business, or otherwise disrupt our operations; competitive factors and

pricing pressures or the loss of one or more of our largest customers;

inability to consummate, or effectively integrate, any acquisition,

including integrating our recent acquisition of Gold Kist, or realize the

associated cost savings and operating synergies currently anticipated;

currency exchange rate fluctuations, trade barriers, exchange controls,

expropriation and other risks associated with foreign operations;

disruptions in international markets and distribution channels; and the

impact of uncertainties of litigation as well as other risks described

under "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent

filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Pilgrim's Pride

Corporation undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any

forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future

events or otherwise.