Buenos Aires, Nov 18 (NA) – Granja Tres Arroyos, the largest chicken producer in the country, has worsened its situation in recent weeks amid a preventive crisis procedure. Despite the increase in chicken consumption, the company is going through a delicate situation that could lead to the closure of its plants: it operates four in Ezeiza, Esteban Echeverría, Capitán Sarmiento, and Brandsen, in the province of Buenos Aires; two in Concepción del Uruguay, Entre Ríos; one in Córdoba and another in Uruguay. Days ago, at the last minute, its owner group - Grupo Granja Tres Arroyos (GTA) - managed to deactivate a 48-hour strike that workers at the Brandsen plant were planning due to delays in salary payments. In Entre Ríos, delays in wages were also denounced. In the sector, there is talk of possible closures of some of the facilities, although the idea would not be to dismiss the operators, but to transfer them to the remaining active ones. One could be the one in Concepción del Uruguay, where workers claim that in the last half of October they only received 20% of their remunerations, which, they state, should have been paid in full in early November. According to the Food Industry Workers Union (STIA) of the local chapter, deposits will be made in the coming days to cancel the 80% owed. Meanwhile, the local branch of the Meat Union warned about the situation, which it emphasized “compromises both the income and the stability of the workers.” The union stressed “the need for immediate responses from the authorities” and highlighted “the willingness to prioritize job continuity.” The crisis has deepened over the past year. The company failed to regain the Chinese market after the 2023 avian flu. The closure of that destination represented a loss of $160 million for chicken exporters, almost half of the total shipments abroad. And for Granja Tres Arroyos, it meant going from exporting 25% of its products instead of 33%. The company produces 700,000 chickens per day, 20% of the national total. It exports 25% to 67 countries, with an annual billing of $1.300 billion. The owner group also controls the Cresta Roja, La Comarca, and Jet Food brands.
