More than 150 employees at Perrigo’s infant formula plant in the town of Georgia will be laid off as part of the company’s plan to close the site this summer.
The publicly traded, Michigan-based company announced in March 2025 that it would shut down the Georgia plant through a phased approach. The plant employed about 420 people at the time.
Perrigo, which sells consumer health products, notified the state of Vermont last week that it is laying off 162 employees at the facility, as state law requires ahead of mass layoff events.
The company did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday afternoon. But local officials understand that the layoffs are expected to take effect by the end of June, when manufacturing will also cease, said Tim Smith, executive director of the Franklin County Industrial Development Corporation.
Packaging and other functions will continue for longer, Smith said, but eventually all positions will be eliminated.
VTDigger first reported the layoffs.
Perrigo previously cited the age of the Georgia plant and shifting federal regulations around infant formula as reasons for its decision. The company purchased a formula factory in Wisconsin in 2022.
Perrigo is a leading producer of store-brand infant formula but has struggled in recent years. Last fall, months after announcing the Georgia plant closure, Perrigo said it would broadly reassess its other investments in its formula division.
Its Georgia plant has been one of the largest private employers in Franklin County, Smith said. Some employees have worked there for decades, through ownership stints by three firms.
Smith said he and other local officials hope that Perrigo will make efforts to find a new owner who can keep the plant open in some fashion. They have asked the company for more detail about its plans for the site but have yet to hear back, Smith said.
Local restaurants, gas stations and other businesses near the plant may struggle if the Perrigo plant ends up lying vacant.
“That's where the devastation will be,” Smith said.
