Sanderson Farms to build poultry plant in Robeson County

RALEIGH, NC (AP) — A poultry farm that was twice rejected, and then accepted by one county will locate elsewhere in North Carolina.

State officials said Thursday that Sanderson Farms will build a processing plant and hatchery in Robeson County that will create about 1,100 jobs during the next three years. They say Sanderson expects to invest about $139 million in the complex, including upgrades to its Kinston feed mill.

Sanderson Farms originally courted Cumberland County, where commissioners rejected a $2.5 million incentives package. In February, they approved the incentives.

About the same time, Robeson County also approved incentives for a then-unnamed company. Sanderson also received a $1 million state grant that was contingent on local funds.

Earlier media reports said the jobs would pay an average starting rate of about $11 an hour.

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