UNITED STATES-PORK PLANT WITH CAPACITY 20,000 PIGS PER WEEK.
Rantoul’s economic development director said the village will work aggressively to find another pork company to move into the Meadowbrook Farms pork processing plant.
The board of directors for Meadowbrook Farms voted last week to enter bankruptcy and to liquidate the cooperative, which has more than 100 members and hog suppliers.
The facility, on Rantoul’s west side, employed more than 600 before they were laid off in December.
Rantoul Economic Development Director Robert Bruce said he was optimistic another pork company would be interested in moving to the Rantoul site.
The $24 million plant, which opened in January 2004, was modeled after environmentally friendly plants in Europe to maintain maximum efficiency and humane operating conditions.
"It is pretty much a state-of-the-art facility," Bruce said. "We would certainly think another company in the pork industry would be very much interested in this type of facility."
Bruce said he and his staff have begun soliciting possible buyers for the facility.
"Relocating here would be an upgrade for most pork processing companies," Bruce said.
Bruce said the property is within Rantoul’s enterprise zone, making it potentially eligible for tax incentives and relief from regulations.
Businesses moving to Rantoul’s enterprise zone can get tax abatements for as much as 10 years and can purchase building materials without paying state and local sales taxes.
Meanwhile, Rantoul Mayor Neal Williams said the village would like to reach out to the Meadowbrook Farms employees who lost their jobs.
"This is a huge disappointment to the employees and to the community," Williams said. "My goodness, over 600 people have lost their jobs. That’s incredible, even in these economic times."
Bruce said the village would consider developing a job fair for laid off employees and would work with local educational institutions to consider developing job training programs to help laid off workers gain the skills they need for new jobs.