LAUREL, MISSISSIPPI, US – Amick Farms, a subsidiary of OSI Group, has reached an agreement to acquire a poultry production complex in Laurel, Mississippi, US, from Wayne Farms LLC. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Batesburg, South Carolina, US-based Amick Farms agreed to acquire the complex immediately, including live production, hatchery, feed mill, manufacturing and production facilities located in Laurel. Amick Farms is a leading producer of fresh and further processed poultry products.

Ben Harrison, president of Amick Farms, said the acquisition gives the company the opportunity and resources to grow with their customer base and develop new customer partners, provide more quality products and continue providing customer service excellence.

“We are excited to welcome the team members and growers in Laurel and surrounding communities to our family,” Harrison said. “Growing our business is an ongoing goal of ours, and this transaction was the perfect opportunity to grow our Amick team.”

Amick Farms currently operates two other vertically integrated facilities in South Carolina and Maryland, employing approximately 3,000 people.

Wayne Farms upgraded the Laurel facility in 2020 at a cost of roughly $16.9 million. Upgrades included installation of automated equipment on its processing line.

Besides the Laurel facility, Wayne Farms operates fresh processing plants in Albertville, Jack, Dothan, Union Springs and Decatur, Alabama, US; Danville, Arkansas, US; Pendergrass, Georgia, US; and Dobson, North Carolina, US. It also operates two further processing plants in Decatur, Alabama, US. Wayne Farms operates 11 plants with approximately 10,000 employees.

The deal comes after Continental Grain Co. and Cargill formed a joint venture to acquire poultry processor Sanderson Farms for $4.5 billion. The venture will make Sanderson a part of Wayne Farms, which is a subsidiary of Continental Grain. That transaction is expected to close by the end of 2021 or early 2022.