The new plant proposed by Tyson Foods would see the creation of 85 jobs when it is fully operational and would cost $136m to build.
The proposal was put together by a group of Tyson Food employees and submitted to the finance committee of the Carroll County Quorum Court on Wednesday 13 April.
“This project would allow us to better serve our foodservice customers through improved product mix and greater efficiencies,” said Noel White, president of poultry for Tyson Foods in a company statement on 14 April.
“This is the first new plant construction project Tyson Foods has proposed to build in a number of years and we’re hopeful we can partner with Carroll County and the AEDC (Arkansas Economic Development Commission) to invest in our home state.”
Built by 2017
Tyson Foods already operates an efficient poultry-processing site in Green Forest, Arkansas, that produces a range of part-cooked chicken products for both foodservice and retail customers.
The new project at Green Forest will increase the existing plant’s ability to produce partially cooked chicken, increasing efficiency by slashing the necessary transportation of products to other locations for additional processing.
Tyson Food said it wanted the new plant to be connected to its existing one by a corridor to ease movement between buildings. The site would be close to 200,000sq ft in size and construction could begin as early as this summer and be completed by the close of 2017.
Tyson Foods said the new build, if approved, would not see the company increase the overall number of chickens it produces for slaughter in Carroll Country.
The Green Forest plan has been owned by Tyson Foods since 1967 and currently employs more than 1,250 people.