Agriprocessors filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Once the largest kosher meat producer in the country, Agriprocessors in its filing Tuesday said the company owed $50 million to $100 million to creditors, The Associated Press reported.
The move appears to be an effort to pre-empt foreclosure by a St. Louis bank, which sued Agriprocessors for defaulting on a $35 million loan. A court hearing was scheduled for Wednesday.
Agriprocessors’ filing should stoke already simmering fears of an imminent shortage in the national supply of kosher meat. The company has been producing a fraction of its normal output for at least a week while another large kosher slaughterhouse in Minnesota, which produces meat under the Alle label, was shut down this week due to problems stemming from a fire in June.
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