Puerto Rico’s largest chicken processing company said it has suspended operations indefinitely, leaving 500 workers without jobs.


Picu said it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and that the plant had stopped operations until the company resolved its cash flow problem.


The USDA stopped Picu’s operations twice last year after inspectors found a rat in a chicken breeding farm and bacteria harmful to chickens.


Puerto Rico’s agriculture secretary said the territory’s government is offering US$300,000 in immediate aid to farmers affected by the close of operations, reported AP Online.