Granja Tres Arroyos shuts Córdoba plant, workers face salary cuts amid $350 m debt

Argentina's largest poultry producer, Granja Tres Arroyos, halted production at its Río Cuarto plant in Córdoba for two weeks, affecting about 350 employees. The stoppage was described as a technical pause to rebuild chicken stock, but it comes as the company struggles with severe liquidity problems.

The firm has been paying salaries in installments across all its facilities and has issued thousands of cheques that bounced, amounting to roughly 89 million Argentine pesos. Total liabilities are estimated at $350 million, prompting negotiations with creditors for a restructuring plan that could include debt cuts of up to 75 %. The crisis also follows the earlier closure of the La China plant in Concepción del Uruguay, which left around 700 workers without jobs, intensifying pressure on the poultry supply chain in three provinces.

The combined fallout threatens thousands of direct and indirect jobs and has drawn criticism from unions and local officials, who warn of further plant closures if the financial situation does not improve.