US Sen. Grassley: Recouping Federal Money from Pure Prairie Poultry Not Likely
Federal funding awarded to Pure Prairie Poultry (PPP) to relaunch the chicken processing plant in Charles City was not “chicken feed.”
Between USDA grants and loans, PPP received some $38 million to purchase new equipment, add a loading dock, and expand offices. Operations resumed in November 2022, but less than two years later, PPP shut down the facility.
Few questions as to what went wrong have been answered since PPP’s doors closed in October. Among those waiting for answers is U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley.
Unfortunately, Grassley says there’s not much that can be done to “recoup” any of that money with PPP in bankruptcy.
Grassley has previously said those impacted most by PPP’s closure are the some 140 employees it put out of work.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig has vowed his department will pursue all available avenues to recoup taxpayer costs from the responsible parties.
In the meantime, Communications Director and Public Information Officer Don McDowell says the Ag Department anticipates attorneys representing the State of Iowa will be filing a final report with the Court in the near future. He adds that will include an all-encompassing overview/summary of what transpired, how much the state spent, etc.
No additional information is being released until after the publicly available document is filed.
