Smaller Turkey Flock Prompts Perdue Layoffs Before Thanksgiving

Shifting consumer tastes and a shrinking turkey flock are prompting Perdue Farms Inc. to lay off nearly 300 workers at a processing facility in Washington, Indiana — a move set for just a month before Americans sit down to Thanksgiving dinner.

Turkey production last year in the US fell to a three-decade low, according to US Department of Agriculture data. Farmers are struggling against the worst-ever avian influenza outbreak, rising costs due to inflation and an increasing shift toward beef, pork or chicken as the holiday centerpiece of holiday meals.