Source: Lisa M. Keefe, MEATINGPLACE, 4/22/15

Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. plans to eliminate all antibiotics from one-quarter of its total chicken production by 2019, up from about 5 percent now, CEO Bill Lovette said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

In making a move toward cutting back on antibiotic use, Pilgrim’s Pride follows other poultry processors – including Perdue Farms and Tyson Foods – that have made similar pledges recently. However, in setting the deadline just four years from now, the goal is seen as an aggressive one.

The poultry processors are responding to demands from consumers and customers such as McDonald’s, which announced in March that it would eliminate chicken treated with antibiotics from its supply chain within two years. Chick-fil-A Inc. has a five-year plan for phasing out chicken treated with antibiotics from its supply chain; Pilgrim’s Pride is one of its suppliers.

Poultry processors also are being pressured by a group of six of the largest U.S. school districts to supply antibiotic-free chicken to the nearly 2.9 million students served in cafeterias each day. The Urban School Alliance buys $530 million worth of food and supplies each year and are asking processors to outline how soon they can comply with the initiative that was first announced in late 2014.

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