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PITTSBURG, Texas, April 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Pilgrim's Pride Corporation (NYSE: PPC) today issued the following statement from Senior Chairman Lonnie "Bo" Pilgrim in support of Gov. Rick Perry's letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requesting a 50% waiver of the renewable fuels standard:

"I am proud to support Gov. Perry in his request for a 50% waiver of the renewable fuel standard. Soaring feed-ingredient costs fueled by the federal government's ethanol mandate has created a crisis in our industry, the true effects of which are only just now beginning to be felt by consumers in Texas and other states in the form of higher food prices. These unprecedented increases for corn and soybean meal are expected to add billions of dollars of cost to our industry this year. We applaud Gov. Perry for his leadership on this critical issue and encourage other leaders in the public and private sectors to join in support."

About Pilgrim's Pride

Pilgrim's Pride Corporation is the largest chicken company in the United States and Puerto Rico and the second-largest in Mexico. Pilgrim's Pride employs approximately 54,500 people and operates 37 chicken processing and 12 prepared-foods facilities, with major operations in Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Mexico and Puerto Rico as well as other facilities in Arizona, Iowa, Mississippi, Ohio and Utah.

Pilgrim's Pride products are sold to foodservice, retail and frozen entree customers. The Company's primary distribution is through retailers, foodservice distributors and restaurants throughout the United States and Puerto Rico and in the Northern and Central regions of Mexico. For more information, please visit http://www.pilgrimspride.com.

SOURCE Pilgrim's Pride Corporation

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