The backbone of Georgia’s agricultural economy is bracing for a potential blow as rising tariffs threaten to unravel decades of hard-won global trade relationships. Industry officials are sounding the alarm over what could become a catastrophic turn for the state’s most valuable export.
Home to the largest poultry industry in the U.S. and ranking seventh worldwide, Georgia’s livelihood is tied tightly to chicken farms, processing plants, and the global markets that buy their products. Now, with tariffs looming, everyone from farmers to factory workers could feel the squeeze.
Georgia’s $28 Billion Industry Faces a Heavy Crosswind
It’s no exaggeration — poultry is king in Georgia. The industry pumps over $28 billion into the state’s economy each year and provides jobs to about 88,000 people. These aren’t just numbers on paper; they represent families, rural towns, and entire local economies that lean heavily on the success of chicken exports.
Greg Tyler, the president of the U.S. Poultry and Egg Council based in Tucker, Georgia, didn’t sugarcoat it. “If we can’t export this product, that means the U.S. industry is going to have to scale back on production,” he said. “And when we scale back, we lose jobs.”
And it’s not a distant, maybe-one-day problem. Trade disputes are already tightening their grip. Canada’s recent removal of U.S. poultry products from store shelves was a shot across the bow.
The industry’s heavy reliance on foreign buyers for broiler chickens and byproducts like chicken feet — especially in China, Canada, and Mexico — adds to the vulnerability. Lose those markets, and Georgia’s poultry sector could find itself sitting on a mountain of unsold inventory with nowhere to send it.
Longstanding Trade Partnerships Under Strain
Decades of trust built through global trade networks are now hanging by a thread. Tyler stressed how critical these relationships have been, pointing to the Port of Savannah as a key artery for poultry exports. Roughly 25% of the world’s poultry exports pass through that single port.
Losing access to major partners could cause ripple effects far beyond Georgia’s borders.
After a bird flu outbreak in 2023, China slapped a ban on U.S. poultry imports. Though some cooked products still trickle through, Georgia’s exports to China have cratered compared to pre-2023 levels.
Tariffs Threaten Not Just Farmers, But Entire Communities
The anxiety isn’t limited to the farms and factory floors. It’s in the small towns where local diners depend on poultry plant paychecks, in the schools funded by tax revenues from thriving businesses, and in the mom-and-pop shops along rural highways.
Tyler emphasized that it’s not just chicken farmers who’ll feel the pain. It’s truckers, feed suppliers, port workers — the entire economic ecosystem built around poultry.
Some of the biggest dangers officials foresee include:
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A slowdown in production leading to layoffs across Georgia’s rural counties
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Higher prices for domestic consumers as the market tries to absorb excess supply
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Potential bankruptcies among smaller farms who can’t survive an extended downturn
And while it’s easy to think large corporations might weather the storm, smaller family farms won’t have that kind of cushion. One bad season could mean closing their doors for good.
Trade Tensions Show No Signs of Easing
Despite best efforts, fixing the situation won’t be simple. Political tensions, especially between the U.S. and China, are stubborn obstacles. New tariffs could just deepen an already messy trade war.
China, once a booming market for U.S. poultry, has started looking elsewhere — opening up to South American suppliers, among others. Meanwhile, Mexico and Canada are reevaluating their reliance on American chicken altogether.
It’s a slow-motion crisis, one where the outcomes are cloudy but the warnings are clear. Tyler put it bluntly: “Removing some of these non-tariff barriers and freeing up exports would help us get back into the Chinese market. But we’re dramatically down from that billion-dollar mark we had just a couple of years ago.”
One thing’s certain — every week that passes without resolution chips away a little more at Georgia’s dominance in poultry exports.
