Pilgrim's Pride (PPC) 10-K 16 Feb 18 2017 FY Annual report Financial data

Document and Entity Information

Document and Entity Information - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Feb. 14, 2018	Jun. 25, 2017
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2017
Entity Registrant Name	PILGRIMS PRIDE CORP
Entity Central Index Key	802,481
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2,017
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		248,752,508
Entity Public Float			$ 1,203,667,109
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes

CONSOLIDATED AND COMBINED BALAN

CONSOLIDATED AND COMBINED BALANCE SHEETS - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 581,510	$ 292,544
Restricted cash and cash equivalents	8,021	4,979
Trade accounts and other receivables, less allowance for doubtful accounts	565,478	445,553
Accounts receivable from related parties	2,951	4,010
Inventories	1,255,070	975,608
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	102,550	81,932
Assets held for sale	708	5,259
Total current assets	2,516,288	1,809,885
Other long-lived assets	18,165	19,260
Identified intangible assets, net	617,163	471,591
Goodwill	1,001,889	887,221
Property, plant and equipment, net	2,095,147	1,833,985
Total assets	6,248,652	5,021,942
Accounts payable	762,444	790,378
Accounts payable to related parties	2,889	4,468
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities	417,342	347,021
Income taxes payable	222,073	27,578
Current maturities of long-term debt	47,775	15,712
Total current liabilities	1,452,523	1,185,157
Long-term debt, less current maturities	2,635,617	1,396,124
Deferred tax liabilities	208,492	251,807
Other long-term liabilities	96,359	102,722
Total liabilities	4,392,991	2,935,810
Commitments and contingencies
Preferred stock, $.01 par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued	0	0
Common stock, $.01 par value, 800,000,000 shares authorized; 260,167,881 and 259,682,000 shares issued at year-end 2017 and year-end 2016, respectively; 248,752,508 and 249,046,139 shares outstanding at year-end 2017 and year-end 2016, respectively	2,602	307,288
Treasury stock, at cost, 11,415,373 shares and 10,635,861 shares at year-end 2017 and year-end 2016, respectively	(231,758)	(217,117)
Additional paid-in capital	1,932,509	3,100,332
Retained earnings (accumulated deficit)	173,943	(782,785)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(31,140)	(329,858)
Total Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation stockholders’ equity	1,846,156	2,077,860
Noncontrolling interest	9,505	8,272
Total stockholders’ equity	1,855,661	2,086,132
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	$ 6,248,652	$ 5,021,942

CONSOLIDATED AND COMBINED BALA

CONSOLIDATED AND COMBINED BALANCE SHEETS (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Preferred stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Preferred stock, shares authorized	50,000,000	50,000,000
Preferred stock, shares issued	0	0
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Common stock, shares authorized	800,000,000	800,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	260,167,881	259,682,000
Common stock, shares outstanding	248,752,508	249,046,139
Treasury stock, shares outstanding	11,415,373	10,635,861

CONSOLIDATED AND COMBINED STATE

CONSOLIDATED AND COMBINED STATEMENTS OF INCOME - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015
Income Statement [Abstract]
Net sales	$ 10,767,863	$ 9,878,564	$ 8,752,672
Cost of sales	9,296,249	8,774,581	7,453,948
Gross profit	1,471,614	1,103,983	1,298,724
Selling, general and administrative expense	389,517	310,832	231,838
Administrative restructuring charges	9,775	1,069	5,754
Operating income	1,072,322	792,082	1,061,132
Interest expense, net of capitalized interest	107,183	75,636	46,549
Interest income	(7,730)	(2,301)	(3,828)
Foreign currency transaction losses (gains)	(2,659)	4,055	26,148
Miscellaneous, net	(6,538)	(9,344)	(9,061)
Income before income taxes	982,066	724,036	1,001,324
Income tax expense	263,899	243,919	338,352
Net income	718,167	480,117	662,972
Less: Net income from Granite Holdings Sàrl prior to acquisition by Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation	23,486	40,388	17,010
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interest	102	(803)	48
Net income attributable to Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation	$ 694,579	$ 440,532	$ 645,914
Weighted average shares of common stock outstanding:
Basic (in shares)	248,738	253,669	258,442
Effect of dilutive common stock equivalents (in shares)	233	457	234
Diluted (in shares)	248,971	254,126	258,676
Net income attributable to Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation per share of common stock outstanding:
Basic (in dollars per share)	$ 2.79	$ 1.74	$ 2.50
Diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 2.79	$ 1.73	$ 2.50

CONSOLIDATED AND COMBINED STAT5

CONSOLIDATED AND COMBINED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net income	$ 718,167	$ 480,117	$ 662,972
Foreign currency translation adjustment
Gains (losses) arising during the period	100,081	(233,232)	(32,482)
Income tax effect	3,137	0	0
Derivative financial instruments designated as cash flow hedges
Gains (losses) arising during the period	60	(151)	(56)
Reclassification to net earnings for losses (gains) realized	(639)	311	(5)
Available-for-sale securities
Gains arising during the period	132	443	533
Income tax effect	(50)	(167)	(201)
Reclassification to net earnings for gains realized	(34)	(552)	(475)
Income tax effect	13	209	179
Defined benefit plans
Gains (losses) arising during the period	(8,738)	(9,085)	5,054
Income tax effect	968	3,429	(1,908)
Reclassification to net earnings of losses realized	932	659	689
Income tax effect	(353)	(249)	(260)
Total other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	95,509	(238,385)	(28,932)
Comprehensive income	813,676	241,732	634,040
Less: Comprehensive income (loss) for Granite Holdings Sàrl prior to acquisition by Pilgrim's Pride Corporation	88,050	(192,684)	(15,533)
Less: Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests	102	(803)	48
Comprehensive income attributable to Pilgrim's Pride Corporation	$ 725,524	$ 435,219	$ 649,525

CONSOLIDATED AND COMBINED STAT6

CONSOLIDATED AND COMBINED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	Total	Common Stock	Treasury Stock	Additional Paid-in Capital	Retained Earnings (Accumulated Deficit)	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss	Noncontrolling Interest
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 28, 2014		259,029	0
Balance, beginning of year at Dec. 28, 2014	$ 2,196,801	$ 2,590	$ 0	$ 1,662,354	$ 591,492	$ (62,541)	$ 2,906
Comprehensive income:
Net income (loss)	662,972				662,924		48
Other comprehensive loss, net of tax benefit	(28,932)					(28,932)
Capital contribution under Tax Sharing Agreement between JBS USA Food Company Holdings and Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation (the“TSA”)	3,690			3,690
Share-based compensation plans:
Common stock issued under compensation plans (in shares)		671
Common stock issued under compensation plans	0	$ 7		(7)
Common stock forfeited under compensation plans (in shares)		(15)
Common stock forfeited under compensation plans	(85)			(85)
Requisite service period recognition	3,060			3,060
Tax benefit related to share-based compensation	6,474			6,474
Common stock purchased under share repurchase program (in shares)			(4,862)
Common stock purchased under share repurchase program	(99,233)		$ (99,233)
Special cash dividend	(1,498,470)				(1,498,470)
Other				188	(188)
Stockholders' Equity of Granite Holdings Sàrl (in shares)		13,000
Stockholders' Equity of Granite Holdings Sàrl	1,413,598	$ 304,691		1,414,716	(304,678)		(1,131)
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 27, 2015		272,685	4,862
Balance, end of year at Dec. 27, 2015	2,659,875	$ 307,288	$ (99,233)	3,090,390	(548,920)	(91,473)	1,823
Comprehensive income:
Net income (loss)	480,117				480,920		(803)
Other comprehensive loss, net of tax benefit	(238,385)					(238,385)
Capital contribution under Tax Sharing Agreement between JBS USA Food Company Holdings and Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation (the“TSA”)	5,039			5,039
Share-based compensation plans:
Requisite service period recognition	6,102			6,102
Tax benefit related to share-based compensation	0
Common stock purchased under share repurchase program (in shares)			(5,774)
Common stock purchased under share repurchase program	(117,884)		$ (117,884)
Capital contributions to subsidiary by noncontrolling participants	7,252						7,252
Common stock purchased from retirement plan participants (in shares)		(3)
Common stock purchased from retirement plan participants	(73)			(73)
Dividend paid by Granite Holdings Sàrl to JBS S.A.	(14,870)				(14,870)
Special cash dividend	(699,915)				(699,915)
Other	(1,126)			(1,126)	0
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 25, 2016		272,682	10,636
Balance, end of year at Dec. 25, 2016	2,086,132	$ 307,288	$ (217,117)	3,100,332	(782,785)	(329,858)	8,272
Comprehensive income:
Net income (loss)	718,167				718,065		102
Other comprehensive loss, net of tax benefit	95,509					95,509
Capital contribution under Tax Sharing Agreement between JBS USA Food Company Holdings and Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation (the“TSA”)	5,558			5,558
Share-based compensation plans:
Common stock issued under compensation plans (in shares)		486
Common stock issued under compensation plans	0	$ 5		(5)
Requisite service period recognition	3,019			3,019
Tax benefit related to share-based compensation	1,100
Common stock purchased under share repurchase program (in shares)			(780)
Common stock purchased under share repurchase program	(14,641)		$ (14,641)
Deemed equity contribution resulting from the transfer of Granite Holdings Sàrl net assets from JBS S.A. to Pilgrim's Pride Corporation in a common-control transaction	237,195			237,195
Transfer of Granite Holdings Sàrl to Pilgrim's from JBS S.A. (in shares)		(13,000)
Transfer of Granite Holdings Sàrl to Pilgrim's from JBS S.A.	(1,275,278)	$ (304,691)		(1,413,590)	238,663	203,209	1,131
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2017		260,168	11,416
Balance, end of year at Dec. 31, 2017	$ 1,855,661	$ 2,602	$ (231,758)	$ 1,932,509	$ 173,943	$ (31,140)	$ 9,505

CONSOLIDATED AND COMBINED STAT7

CONSOLIDATED AND COMBINED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015
Statement of Stockholders' Equity [Abstract]
Other comprehensive income, tax expense (benefit)	$ 4,012	$ (3,222)	$ (2,190)

CONSOLIDATED AND COMBINED STAT8

CONSOLIDATED AND COMBINED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income	$ 718,167	$ 480,117	$ 662,972
Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	277,792	231,708	173,817
Asset impairment	5,156	790	4,813
Foreign currency transaction gains related to borrowing arrangements	(1,387)	0	0
Amortization of bond premium	(180)	0	0
Gain on property disposals	(506)	(8,914)	(10,372)
Loss (gain) on equity method investments	(59)	452	0
Share-based compensation	3,020	6,102	2,975
Deferred income tax expense (benefit)	(49,963)	(5,034)	19,872
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Trade accounts and other receivables	(82,169)	(32,428)	76,130
Inventories	(207,399)	(33,083)	83,595
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	(14,827)	19,270	23,578
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	(22,827)	75,893	36,314
Income taxes	188,120	75,238	(55,324)
Long-term pension and other postretirement obligations	(10,864)	(10,165)	(3,500)
Other	(753)	(4,584)	5,510
Cash provided by operating activities	801,321	795,362	1,020,380
Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisitions of property, plant and equipment	(339,872)	(340,960)	(190,262)
Purchase of acquired business, net of cash acquired	(658,520)	0	(373,532)
Proceeds from property disposals	4,475	13,375	14,610
Proceeds from settlement of life insurance contract	1,845	0	0
Cash used in investing activities	(992,072)	(327,585)	(549,184)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from notes payable to bank	0	36,838	28,726
Payments on notes payable to bank	0	(65,564)	0
Payment of note payable to affiliate	(753,512)	0	0
Proceeds from revolving line of credit and long-term borrowings	1,871,818	593,015	1,680,000
Payments on revolving line of credit, long-term borrowings and capital lease obligations	(628,677)	(570,015)	(690,138)
Proceeds from capital contribution under Tax Sharing Agreement between JBS USA Food Company Holdings and Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation	5,038	3,690	0
Tax benefit related to share-based compensation	0	0	6,474
Capital contributions to subsidiary by noncontrolling stockholders	0	7,252	0
Payment of capitalized loan costs	(13,631)	(693)	(12,364)
Purchase of common stock under share repurchase program	(14,641)	(117,884)	(99,233)
Purchase of common stock from retirement plan participants	0	(73)	0
Payment of cash dividend	0	(714,785)	(1,498,470)
Cash provided by (used in) financing activities	466,395	(828,219)	(585,005)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	16,364	(38,587)	(4,264)
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	292,008	(399,029)	(118,073)
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period	297,523	696,552	814,625
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period	589,531	297,523	696,552
Supplemental Disclosure Information:
Interest paid (net of amount capitalized)	81,260	69,857	42,968
Income taxes paid	$ 122,956	$ 161,026	$ 361,183

BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFI

BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES	BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Business Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation (referred to herein as “Pilgrim’s,” “PPC,” “the Company,” “we,” “us,” “our,” or similar terms) is one of the largest chicken producers in the world, with operations in the United States (“U.S.”), the United Kingdom (“U.K.”), Mexico, France, Puerto Rico, and The Netherlands. Pilgrim’s products are sold to foodservice, retail and frozen entrée customers. The Company’s primary distribution is through retailers, foodservice distributors and restaurants throughout the countries listed above. Additionally, the Company exports chicken products to approximately 100 countries. Pilgrim’s fresh chicken products consist of refrigerated (nonfrozen) whole chickens, whole cut-up chickens and selected chicken parts that are either marinated or non-marinated. The Company’s prepared chicken products include fully cooked, ready-to-cook and individually frozen chicken parts, strips, nuggets and patties, some of which are either breaded or non-breaded and either marinated or non-marinated. The Company’s other products include ready-to-eat meals, multi-protein frozen foods, vegetarian foods and desserts. As a vertically integrated company, we control every phase of the production of our products. We operate feed mills, hatcheries, processing plants and distribution centers in 14 U.S. states, the U.K., Europe, Puerto Rico and Mexico. As of December 31, 2017 , Pilgrim’s had approximately 51,300 employees and the capacity to process more than 45.2 million birds per week for a total of more than 13.3 billion pounds of live chicken annually. Approximately 5,200 contract growers supply poultry for the Company’s operations. As of December 31, 2017 , JBS S.A., through its indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries (together, “JBS”) beneficially owned 78.6% of the Company’s outstanding common stock. Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements The Company operates on the basis of a 52 / 53 -week fiscal year ending on the Sunday falling on or before December 31. Any reference we make to a particular year (for example, 2017 ) in the notes to these Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements applies to our fiscal year and not the calendar year. On September 8, 2017, a subsidiary of the Company acquired 100% of the issued and outstanding shares of Granite Holdings Sàrl and its subsidiaries (together, “Moy Park”) from JBS S.A. in a common-control transaction. Moy Park was acquired by JBS S.A. from an unrelated third party on September 30, 2015. For the period from September 30, 2015 through September 7, 2017, the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements include the accounts of the Company and its majority-owned subsidiaries combined with the accounts of Moy Park. For the period from September 8, 2017 through December 31, 2017, the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements include the accounts of the Company and its majority-owned subsidiaries, including Moy Park. We eliminate all significant affiliate accounts and transactions upon consolidation. The Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. GAAP using management’s best estimates and judgments. These estimates and judgments affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of the contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements. The estimates and judgments will also affect the reported amounts for certain revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ materially from these estimates and judgments. Significant estimates made by the Company include the allowance for doubtful accounts, reserves related to inventory obsolescence or valuation, useful lives of long-lived assets, goodwill, valuation of deferred tax assets, insurance accruals, valuation of pension and other postretirement benefits obligations, income tax accruals, certain derivative positions and valuations of acquired businesses. The functional currency of the Company's U.S. and Mexico operations and certain holding-company subsidiaries in Luxembourg, the U.K. and Ireland is the U.S. dollar. The functional currency of its U.K. operations is the British pound. The functional currency of the Company's operations in France and the Netherlands is the euro. For foreign currency-denominated entities other than the Company's Mexico operations, translation from local currencies into U.S. dollars is performed for most assets and liabilities using the exchange rates in effect as of the balance sheet date. Income and expense accounts are remeasured using average exchange rates for the period. Adjustments resulting from translation of these financial records are reflected as a separate component of Accumulated other comprehensive loss in the Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheets. For the Company's Mexico operations, remeasurement from the Mexican peso to U.S. dollars is performed for monetary assets and liabilities using the exchange rate in effect as of the balance sheet date. Remeasurement is performed for non-monetary assets using the historical exchange rate in effect on the date of each asset’s acquisition. Income and expense accounts are remeasured using average exchange rates for the period. Net adjustments resulting from remeasurement of these financial records are reflected in Foreign currency transaction losses (gains) in the Consolidated and Combined Statements of Income. The Company or its subsidiaries may use derivatives for the purpose of mitigating exposure to changes in foreign currency exchange rates. Foreign currency transaction gains or losses are reported in the Consolidated and Combined Statements of Income. Revenue Recognition We recognize revenue when all of the following circumstances are satisfied: (i) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exits, (ii) price is fixed or determinable, (iii) collectability is reasonably assured and (iv) delivery has occurred. Delivery occurs in the period in which the customer takes title and assumes the risks and rewards of ownership of the products specified in the customer’s purchase order or sales agreement. Revenue is recorded net of estimated incentive offerings including special pricing agreements, promotions and other volume-based incentives. Revisions to these estimates are charged back to net sales in the period in which the facts that give rise to the revision become known. Taxes collected from customers and remitted to governmental authorities are excluded from revenues. Shipping and Handling Costs Costs associated with the products shipped to customers are recognized in cost of sales. Advertising Costs The Company expenses advertising costs as incurred. Advertising costs are included in selling, general and administrative expenses and totaled $18.5 million , $12.3 million and $5.8 million for 2017 , 2016 and 2015 , respectively. Research and Development Costs Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Research and development costs totaled $3.7 million , $3.5 million and $4.1 million for 2017 , 2016 and 2015 , respectively. Cash and Cash Equivalents The Company considers highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less when acquired to be cash equivalents. The majority of the Company’s disbursement bank accounts are zero balance accounts where cash needs are funded as checks are presented for payment by the holder. Checks issued pending clearance that result in overdraft balances for accounting purposes are classified as accounts payable and the change in the related balance is reflected in operating activities on the Consolidated and Combined Statements of Cash Flows. Investments The Company’s current investments are all highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less when acquired and are, therefore, considered cash equivalents. The Company’s current investments are comprised of fixed income securities, primarily commercial paper and a money market fund. These investments are classified as available-for-sale. These securities are recorded at fair value, and unrealized holding gains and losses are recorded, net of tax, as a separate component of accumulated other comprehensive income. Investments in fixed income securities with remaining maturities of less than one year and those identified by management at the time of purchase for funding operations in less than one year are classified as current assets. Investments in fixed income securities with remaining maturities in excess of one year that management has not identified at the time of purchase for funding operations in less than one year are classified as long-term assets. Unrealized losses are charged against net earnings when a decline in fair value is determined to be other than temporary. Management reviews several factors to determine whether a loss is other than temporary, such as the length of time a security is in an unrealized loss position, the extent to which fair value is less than amortized cost, the impact of changing interest rates in the short and long term, and the Company’s intent and ability to hold the security for a period of time sufficient to allow for any anticipated recovery in fair value. The Company determines the cost of each security sold and each amount reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income into earnings using the specific identification method. Purchases and sales are recorded on a settlement date basis. Investments in entities in which the Company has an ownership interest greater than 50% and exercises control over the entity are consolidated in the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements. Investments in entities in which the Company has an ownership interest between 20% and 50% and exercises significant influence are accounted for using the equity method. The Company invests from time to time in ventures in which its ownership interest is less than 20% and over which it does not exercise significant influence. Such investments are accounted for under the cost method. The fair values for investments not traded on a quoted exchange are estimated based upon the historical performance of the ventures, the ventures’ forecasted financial performance and management’s evaluation of the ventures’ viability and business models. To the extent the book value of an investment exceeds its assessed fair value, the Company will record an appropriate impairment charge. Accounts Receivable The Company records accounts receivable when revenue is recognized. We record an allowance for doubtful accounts, reducing our receivables balance to an amount we estimate is collectible from our customers. Estimates used in determining the allowance for doubtful accounts are based on historical collection experience, current trends, aging of accounts receivable, and periodic credit evaluations of our customers’ financial condition. We write off accounts receivable when it becomes apparent, based upon age or customer circumstances, that such amounts will not be collected. Generally, the Company does not require collateral for its accounts receivable. Inventories Live chicken inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market and breeder hen inventories at the lower of cost, less accumulated amortization, or market. The costs associated with breeder hen inventories are accumulated up to the production stage and amortized over their productive lives using the unit-of-production method. Finished poultry products, feed, eggs and other inventories are stated at the lower of cost (average) or market. We record valuation adjustments for our inventory and for estimated obsolescence at or equal to the difference between the cost of inventory and the estimated market value based upon known conditions affecting inventory, including significantly aged products, discontinued product lines, or damaged or obsolete products. We allocate meat costs between our various finished chicken products based on a by-product costing technique that reduces the cost of the whole bird by estimated yields and amounts to be recovered for certain by-product parts. This primarily includes leg quarters, wings, tenders and offal, which are carried in inventory at the estimated recovery amounts, with the remaining amount being reflected as our breast meat cost. Generally, the Company performs an evaluation of whether any lower of cost or market adjustments are required at the country level based on a number of factors, including: (i) pools of related inventory, (ii) product continuation or discontinuation, (iii) estimated market selling prices and (iv) expected distribution channels. If actual market conditions or other factors are less favorable than those projected by management, additional inventory adjustments may be required. Property, Plant and Equipment Property, plant and equipment are stated at cost, and repair and maintenance costs are expensed as incurred. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of these assets. Estimated useful lives for building, machinery and equipment are five to 33 years and for automobiles and trucks are three to ten years. The charge to income resulting from amortization of assets recorded under capital leases is included with depreciation expense. The Company records impairment charges on long-lived assets held for use when events and circumstances indicate that the assets may be impaired and the undiscounted cash flows estimated to be generated by those assets are less than the carrying amount of those assets. When the above is true, the impairment charge is determined based upon the amount the net book value of the assets exceeds their fair market value. In making these determinations, the Company utilizes certain assumptions, including, but not limited to: (i) future cash flows estimated to be generated by these assets, which are based on additional assumptions such as asset utilization, remaining length of service and estimated salvage values, (ii) estimated fair market value of the assets and (iii) determinations with respect to the lowest level of cash flows relevant to the respective impairment test, generally groupings of related operational facilities. Given the interdependency of the Company’s individual facilities during the production process, which operate as a vertically integrated network, it evaluates impairment of assets held for use at the country level (i.e., the U.S. and Mexico). Management believes this is the lowest level of identifiable cash flows for its assets that are held for use in production activities. At the present time, the Company’s forecasts indicate that it can recover the carrying value of its assets held for use based on the projected undiscounted cash flows of the operations. The Company records impairment charges on long-lived assets held for sale when the carrying amount of those assets exceeds their fair value less appropriate selling costs. Fair value is based on amounts documented in sales contracts or letters of intent accepted by the Company, amounts included in counteroffers initiated by the Company, or, in the absence of current contract negotiations, amounts determined using a sales comparison approach for real property and amounts determined using a cost approach for personal property. Under the sales comparison approach, sales and asking prices of reasonably comparable properties are considered to develop a range of unit prices within which the current real estate market is operating. Under the cost approach, a current cost to replace the asset new is calculated and then the estimated replacement cost is reduced to reflect the applicable decline in value resulting from physical deterioration, functional obsolescence and economic obsolescence. Appropriate selling costs includes reasonable broker’s commissions, costs to produce title documents, filing fees, legal expenses and the like. We estimate appropriate closing costs as 4% to 6% of asset fair value. This range of rates is considered reasonable for our assets held for sale based on historical experience. Goodwill and Other Intangibles, net Goodwill represents the excess of the aggregate purchase price over the fair value of the net identifiable assets acquired in a business combination. Identified intangible assets represent trade names, customer relationships and non-compete agreements arising from acquisitions that are recorded at fair value as of the date acquired less accumulated amortization, if any. The Company uses various market valuation techniques to determine the fair value of its identified intangible assets. Goodwill and other intangible assets with indefinite lives are not amortized but are tested for impairment on an annual basis in the fourth quarter of each fiscal year or more frequently if impairment indicators arise. For goodwill, an impairment loss is recognized for any excess of the carrying amount of a reporting unit’s goodwill over the implied fair value of that goodwill. Management first reviews relevant qualitative factors to determine if an indication of impairment exists for a reporting unit. If management determines there is an indication that the carrying amount of reporting unit goodwill might be impaired, a quantitative analysis is performed. Management performed a qualitative analysis noting no indications of goodwill impairment in any of its reporting units as of December 31, 2017 . For indefinite-lived intangible assets, an impairment loss is recognized if the carrying amount of an indefinite-lived intangible asset exceeds the estimated fair value of that intangible asset. Management first reviews relevant qualitative factors to determine if an indication of impairment exists. If management determines there is an indication that the carrying amount of the intangible asset might be impaired, and quantitative analysis is performed. Management performed a qualitative analysis noting no indications of impairment for any of its indefinite-lived intangible assets as of December 31, 2017 . Identifiable intangible assets with definite lives, such as customer relationships, non-compete agreements and trade names that the Company expects to use for a limited amount of time, are amortized over their estimated useful lives on a straight-line basis. The useful lives range from three to 20 years for trade names and non-compete agreements and 5 to 16 years for customer relationships. Identified intangible assets with definite lives are tested for recoverability whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying amount may not be recoverable. Management assessed if events or changes in circumstances indicated that the aggregate carrying amount of its identified intangible assets with definite lives might not be recoverable and determined that there were no impairment indicators during the fifty-three weeks ended December 31, 2017 and fifty-two weeks ended December 25, 2016 . Book Overdraft Balances The majority of the Company’s disbursement bank accounts are zero balance accounts where cash needs are funded as checks are presented for payment by the holder. Checks issued pending clearance that result in overdraft balances for accounting purposes are classified as accounts payable and the change in the related balance is reflected in operating activities on the Consolidated and Combined Statements of Cash Flows. Litigation and Contingent Liabilities The Company is subject to lawsuits, investigations and other claims related to employment, environmental, product and other matters. The Company is required to assess the likelihood of any adverse judgments or outcomes, as well as potential ranges of probable losses, to these matters. The Company estimates the amount of reserves required for these contingencies when losses are determined to be probable and after considerable analysis of each individual issue. The Company expenses legal costs related to such loss contingencies as they are incurred. The accrual for environmental remediation liabilities is measured on an undiscounted basis. These reserves may change in the future due to changes in the Company’s assumptions, the effectiveness of strategies, or other factors beyond the Company’s control. Accrued Self Insurance Insurance expense for casualty claims and employee-related health care benefits are estimated using historical and current experience and actuarial estimates. Stop-loss coverage is maintained with third-party insurers to limit the Company’s total exposure. Certain categories of claim liabilities are actuarially determined. The assumptions used to arrive at periodic expenses are reviewed regularly by management. However, actual expenses could differ from these estimates and could result in adjustments to be recognized. Asset Retirement Obligations The Company monitors certain asset retirement obligations in connection with its operations. These obligations relate to clean-up, removal or replacement activities and related costs for “in-place” exposures only when those exposures are moved or modified, such as during renovations of our facilities. These in-place exposures include asbestos, refrigerants, wastewater, oil, lubricants and other contaminants common in manufacturing environments. Under existing regulations, the Company is not required to remove these exposures and there are no plans to undertake a renovation that would require removal of the asbestos or the remediation of the other in-place exposures at this time. The facilities are expected to be maintained and repaired by activities that will not result in the removal or disruption of these in-place exposures at this time. As a result, there is an indeterminate settlement date for these asset retirement obligations because the range of time over which the Company may incur these liabilities is unknown and cannot be reasonably estimated. Therefore, the Company has not recorded the fair value of any potential liability. Income Taxes The Company follows provisions under ASC No. 740-10-30-27 in the Expenses-Income Taxes topic with regard to members of a group that file a consolidated tax return but issue separate financial statements. The Company files its own U.S. federal tax return, but it is included in certain state unitary returns with JBS USA Food Company Holdings (“JBS USA Holdings”). The income tax expense of the Company is computed using the separate return method. The provision for income taxes has been determined using the asset and liability approach of accounting for income taxes. For the unitary states, we have an obligation to make tax payments to JBS USA Holdings for our share of the unitary taxable income, which is included in taxes payable in our Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheets. Under this approach, deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effect of temporary differences between the book and tax bases of recorded assets and liabilities, net operating losses and tax credit carry forwards. The amount of deferred tax on these temporary differences is determined using the tax rates expected to apply to the period when the asset is realized or the liability is settled, as applicable, based on the tax rates and laws in the respective tax jurisdiction enacted as of the balance sheet date. The Company reviews its deferred tax assets for recoverability and establishes a valuation allowance based on historical taxable income, potential for carry back of tax losses, projected future taxable income, applicable tax strategies, and the expected timing of the reversals of existing temporary differences. A valuation allowance is provided when it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Valuation allowances have been established primarily for net operating loss carry forwards of certain foreign subsidiaries. See “Note 12. Income Taxes” to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements. The Company deems its earnings from its foreign subsidiaries as of December 31, 2017 to be permanently reinvested. As such, U.S. deferred income taxes have not been provided on these earnings. If such earnings were not considered indefinitely reinvested, certain deferred foreign and U.S. income taxes would be provided. The Company follows provisions under ASC No. 740-10-25 that provide a recognition threshold and measurement criteria for the financial statement recognition of a tax benefit taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. Tax benefits are recognized only when it is more likely than not, based on the technical merits, that the benefits will be sustained on examination. Tax benefits that meet the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold are measured using a probability weighting of the largest amount of tax benefit that has greater than 50.0% likelihood of being realized upon settlement. Whether the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold is met for a particular tax benefit is a matter of judgment based on the individual facts and circumstances evaluated in light of all available evidence as of the balance sheet date. See “Note 12. Income Taxes” to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements. Pension and Other Postemployment Benefits Our pension and other postemployment benefit costs and obligations are dependent on the various actuarial assumptions used in calculating such amounts. These assumptions relate to discount rates, long-term return on plan assets and other factors. We base the discount rate assumptions on current investment yields on high-quality corporate long-term bonds. We determine the long-term return on plan assets based on historical portfolio results and management’s expectation of the future economic environment. Actual results that differ from our assumptions are accumulated and, if in excess of the lesser of 10% of the projected benefit obligation or the fair market value of plan assets, amortized over either (i) the estimated average future service period of active plan participants if the plan is active or (ii) the estimated average future life expectancy of all plan participants if the plan is frozen. Operating Leases Rent expense for operating leases is recorded on a straight-line basis over the lease term unless the lease contains an escalation clause which is not fixed or determinable. The lease term begins when we have the right to control the use of the leased property, which is typically before rent payments are due under the terms of the lease. If a lease has a fixed or determinable escalation clause, the difference between rent expense and rent paid is recorded as deferred rent and is included in the Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheets. Rent for operating leases that do not have an escalation clause or where escalation is based on an inflation index is expensed over the lease term as it is payable. Derivative Financial Instruments The Company uses derivative financial instruments (e.g., futures, forwards and options) for the purpose of mitigating exposure to changes in commodity prices and foreign currency exchange rates. • Commodity Price Risk - The Company utilizes various raw materials, which are all considered commodities, in its operations, including corn, soybean meal, soybean oil, wheat, natural gas, electricity and diesel fuel. The Company considers these raw materials to be generally available from a number of different sources and believes it can obtain them to meet its requirements. These commodities are subject to price fluctuations and related price risk due to factors beyond our control, such as economic and political conditions, supply and demand, weather, governmental regulation and other circumstances. Generally, the Company enters into derivative contracts such as physical forward contracts and exchange-traded futures or option contracts in an attempt to mitigate price risk related to its anticipated consumption of commodity inputs for periods up to 12 months. The Company may enter into longer-term derivatives on particular commodities if deemed appropriate. • Foreign Currency Risk - The Company has foreign operations and, therefore, has exposure to foreign exchange risk when the financial results of those operations are translated to US dollars. The Company will occasionally purchase derivative financial instruments such as foreign currency forward contracts in an attempt to mitigate currency exchange rate exposure related to the net assets of its Mexico operations that are denominated in Mexican pesos. The Company’s Moy Park operation also attempts to mitigate foreign currency exposure on certain euro- and U.S. dollar-denominated transactions through the use of derivative financial instruments. Pilgrim’s recognizes all commodity derivative instruments that qualify for derivative accounting treatment as either assets or liabilities and measures those instruments at fair value unless they qualify for, and we elect, the normal purchases and normal sales scope exception (“NPNS”). The permitted accounting treatments include: cash flow hedge; fair value hedge; and undesignated contracts. Undesignated contract accounting is the default accounting treatment for all derivatives unless they qualify, and we specifically designate them, for one of the other accounting treatments. Derivatives designated for any of the elective accounting treatments must meet specific, restrictive criteria both at the time of designation and on an ongoing basis. The Company has generally applied the NPNS exception to its forward physical grain purchase contracts. NPNS contracts are accounted for using the accrual method of accounting; therefore, there were no amounts recorded in the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements at December 31, 2017 and December 25, 2016. Undesignated contracts may include contracts not designated as a hedge or for which the NPNS exception was not elected, contracts that do not qualify for hedge accounting and derivatives that do not or no longer qualify for the NPNS scope exception. The fair value of these derivatives is recognized in the Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheets within Prepaid expenses and other current assets or Accrued expenses and other current liabilities . Changes in fair value of these derivatives are recognized immediately in the Consolidated and Combined Statements of Income within Net sales , Cost of sales or Selling, general and administrative expense , depending on the risk they are intended to mitigate. While management believes these instruments help mitigate various market risks, they are not designated nor accounted for as hedges as a result of the extensive recordkeeping requirements. The Company designated a British pound-denominated promissory note payable issued to JBS S.A. in conjunction with the Moy Park acquisition as a hedge of its net investment in Moy Park. The remeasurement of the note is reported as a foreign currency translation adjustment in accumulated other comprehensive loss in the Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheets and will be reclassified into earnings only if the Company divests its investment in Moy Park. The Company paid the promissory note payable in full with proceeds from the sale of senior notes (See “Note 11. Long-Term Debt and Other Borrowing Arrangements” to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements). At December 31, 2017, the balance of the remeasurement adjustment in accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax, was $13.5 million . Pilgrim’s has designated a portion of its foreign currency derivatives as cash flow hedges and the effective portion of the gain or loss on these derivatives is reported as a component of Accumulated other comprehensive loss within the Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheets and reclassified into earnings in the same period or periods during which the hedged transactions affect earnings. The derivatives are designated as hedging the variability in expected future cash flows from foreign currency exchange risk related to sales and purchases denominated in nonfunctional currencies. Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. (“U.S. GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. We make significant estimates in regard to receivables collectability; inventory valuation; realization of deferred tax assets; valuation of long-lived a

BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS

BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Business Combinations [Abstract]
BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS	BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS Moy Park On September 8, 2017, the Company purchased 100% of the issued and outstanding shares of Moy Park from JBS S.A. for cash of $301.3 million and a note payable to the seller in the amount of £ 562.5 million . Moy Park is one of the top-ten food companies in the U.K., Northern Ireland's largest private sector business and one of Europe's leading poultry producers. With 4 fresh processing plants, 10 prepared foods cook plants, 3 feed mills, 7 hatcheries and 1 rendering facility in Northern Ireland, the U.K., France, and The Netherlands, Moy Park processes 6.0 million birds per seven-day work week, in addition to producing around 456.0 million pounds of prepared foods per year. Its product portfolio comprises fresh and added-value poultry, ready-to-eat meals, breaded and multi-protein frozen foods, vegetarian foods and desserts, supplied to major food retailers and restaurant chains in Europe (including the U.K.). Moy Park has approximately 10,200 employees as of December 31, 2017. The Moy Park operations comprise our U.K. and Europe segment. The acquisition was treated as a common-control transaction under U.S. GAAP. A common-control transaction is a transfer of net assets or an exchange of equity interests between entities under the control of the same parent. The accounting and reporting for a transaction between entities under common control is not to be considered a business combination under U.S. GAAP. Since there is no change in control over the net assets from the parent’s perspective, there is no change in basis in the assets or liabilities. Therefore, Pilgrim's, as the receiving entity, recognized the assets and liabilities received at their historical carrying amounts, as reflected in the parent’s financial statements. The difference between the proceeds transferred and the carrying amounts of the net assets on the date of the acquisition is recognized in equity. Transaction costs incurred in conjunction with the acquisition were approximately $19.6 million . These costs were expensed as incurred. Beginning September 8, 2017, the results of operations and financial position of Moy Park have been included in the consolidated results of operations and financial position of the Company. The results of operations and financial position of Moy Park have been combined with the results of operations and financial position of Pilgrim's from September 30, 2015, the common control date, through September 7, 2017. The following table summarizes the results of operations of Moy Park since the September 30, 2015 common-control date: Net Sales Net Income (In thousands) September 8, 2017 through December 31, 2017 $ 722,387 $ 34,039 December 26, 2016 through September 7, 2017 1,273,932 23,486 2016 1,947,441 40,388 2015 572,568 17,010 GNP On January 6, 2017, the Company acquired 100% of the membership interests of JFC LLC and its subsidiaries (together, “GNP”) from Maschhoff Family Foods, LLC for $350.0 million , subject to customary working capital adjustments. The purchase was funded through cash on hand and borrowings under the U.S. Credit Agreement. GNP is a vertically integrated poultry business based in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The acquired business has a production capacity of 2.1 million birds per five-day work week in its two plants and currently employs approximately 1,500 people. This acquisition further strengthens the Company’s strategic position in the U.S. chicken market. The GNP operations are included in our U.S. segment. The following table summarizes the consideration paid for GNP (in thousands) Negotiated sales price $ 350,000 Working capital adjustment 7,252 Preliminary purchase price $ 357,252 Transaction costs incurred in conjunction with the purchase were approximately $0.6 million . These costs were expensed as incurred. The results of operations of the acquired business since January 6, 2017 are included in the Company’s Consolidated and Combined Statements of Income. Net sales and net income generated by the acquired business during the year ended December 31, 2017 totaled $433.9 million and $30.4 million , respectively. The assets acquired and liabilities assumed in the GNP acquisition were measured at their fair values at January 6, 2017 as set forth below. The excess of the purchase price over the fair values of the net tangible assets and identifiable intangible assets was recorded as goodwill. The factors contributing to the recognition of the amount of goodwill are based on several strategic and synergistic benefits that are expected to be realized from the acquisition as well the assembled workforce. These benefits include (i) complementary product offerings, (ii) an enhanced footprint in the U.S., (iii) shared knowledge of innovative technologies such as gas stunning, aeroscalding and automated deboning, (iv) enhanced position in the fast-growing antibiotic-free and certified organic chicken segments due to the addition of GNP’s portfolio of Just BARE® Certified Organic and Natural/American Humane CertifiedTM/No-Antibiotics-Ever product lines and (v) attractive cost-reduction synergy opportunities and value creation. The Company has tax basis in the goodwill, and therefore, the goodwill is deductible for tax purposes. The fair values recorded were determined based upon upon various external and internal valuations.. The fair values recorded for the assets acquired and liabilities assumed for GNP are as follows (in thousands): Cash and cash equivalents $ 10 Trade accounts and other receivables 18,453 Inventories 56,459 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 3,414 Property, plant and equipment 144,138 Identifiable intangible assets 131,120 Other long-lived assets 829 Total assets acquired 354,423 Accounts payable 23,848 Other current liabilities 11,866 Other long-term liabilities 3,393 Total liabilities assumed 39,107 Total identifiable net assets 315,316 Goodwill 41,936 Total net assets $ 357,252 The Company recognized certain identifiable intangible assets as of January 6, 2017 due to this acquisition. The following table presents the fair values and useful lives, where applicable, of these assets: Fair Value Useful Life (In thousands) (In years) Customer relationships $ 92,900 13.0 Trade names 38,200 20.0 Non-compete agreement 20 3.0 Total fair value $ 131,120 Weighted average useful life 15.2 The Company performed a valuation of the assets and liabilities of GNP as of January 6, 2017. Significant assumptions used in the valuation and the bases for their determination are summarized as follows: • Property, plant and equipment, net . Property, plant and equipment at fair value gave consideration to the highest and best use of the assets. The valuation of the Company's real property improvements and the majority of its personal property was based on the cost approach. The valuation of the Company's land, as if vacant, and certain personal property assets was based on the market or sales comparison approach. • Trade names . The Company valued two trade names using the income approach, specifically the relief from royalty method. Under this method, the asset value of each trade name was determined by estimating the hypothetical royalties that would have to be paid if it was not owned. Royalty rates were selected based on consideration of several factors, including (i) prior transactions involving GNP trade names, (ii) incomes derived from license agreements on comparable trade names within the food industry and (iii) the relative profitability and perceived contribution of each trade name. The royalty rate used in the determination of the fair values of the two trade names was 2.0% of expected net sales related to the respective trade names. In estimating the fair value of the trade names, net sales related to the respective trade names were estimated to grow at a rate of 2.5% . Income taxes were estimated at 39.3% of pre-tax income, a tax amortization benefit factor was estimated at 1.2098 and the hypothetical savings generated by avoiding royalty costs were discounted using a rate of 13.8% . • Customer relationships . The Company valued GNP customer relationships using the income approach, specifically the multi-period excess earnings model. Under this model, the fair value of the customer relationships asset was determined by estimating the net cash inflows from the relationships discounted to present value. In estimating the fair value of the customer relationships, net sales related to existing GNP customers were estimated to grow at a rate of 2.5% annually, but we also anticipate losing existing GNP customers at an attrition rate of 4.0% . Income taxes were estimated at 39.3% of pre-tax income, a tax amortization benefit factor was estimated at 1.2098 and net cash flows attributable to our existing customers were discounted using a rate of 13.8% . See “Note 8. Goodwill and Identified Intangible Assets” for additional information regarding the goodwill and intangible assets recognized by the Company in the GNP acquisition. Tyson Mexico On June 29, 2015, the Company acquired, indirectly through certain of its Mexican subsidiaries, 100% of the equity of Provemex Holdings, LLC and its subsidiaries (together, “Tyson Mexico”) from Tyson Foods, Inc. and certain of its subsidiaries for cash. Tyson Mexico is a vertically integrated poultry business based in Gómez Palacio, Durango, Mexico. The acquired business has a production capacity of 2.9 million birds per five-day work week in its three plants and currently employs more than 4,400 people in its plants, offices and five distribution centers. This acquisition further strengthened the Company’s strategic position in the Mexico chicken market. The following table summarizes the consideration paid for Tyson Mexico (in thousands): Negotiated sales price $ 400,000 Working capital adjustment (20,933 ) Final purchase price $ 379,067 The results of operations of the acquired business since June 29, 2015 are included in the Company’s Consolidated and Combined Statements of Income. Net sales generated by the acquired business during 2017 and 2016 totaled $141.4 million and $250.6 million , respectively. The significant decrease in net sales during 2017 as compared to 2016 primarily resulted from a shift in sales activity from the acquired business to the Company’s legacy business operating in Mexico. The acquired business generated net income of $6.3 million during 2017 and incurred a net loss of $13.7 million during 2016 . The assets acquired and liabilities assumed in the Tyson Mexico acquisition were measured at their fair values at June 29, 2015 as set forth below. The excess of the purchase price over the fair values of the net tangible assets and identifiable intangible assets was recorded as goodwill. The factors contributing to the recognition of the amount of goodwill are based on several strategic and synergistic benefits that are expected to be realized from the acquisition as well the assembled workforce. These benefits include complementary product offerings, an enhanced footprint in Mexico and attractive synergy opportunities and value creation. The Company does not have tax basis in the goodwill, and therefore, the goodwill is not deductible for tax purposes. The fair values recorded were determined based upon various external and internal valuations. The fair values recorded for the assets acquired and liabilities assumed for Tyson Mexico are as follows (in thousands): Cash and cash equivalents $ 5,535 Trade accounts and other receivables 24,173 Inventories 68,130 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 7,661 Property, plant and equipment 209,139 Identifiable intangible assets 26,411 Other long-lived assets 199 Total assets acquired 341,248 Accounts payable 21,550 Other current liabilities 8,707 Long-term deferred tax liabilities 52,376 Other long-term liabilities 5,155 Total liabilities assumed 87,788 Total identifiable net assets 253,460 Goodwill 125,607 Total net assets $ 379,067 The Company performed a valuation of the assets and liabilities of Tyson Mexico at June 29, 2015. Significant assumptions used in the valuation and the bases for their determination are summarized as follows: • Property, plant and equipment, net . Property, plant and equipment at fair value gave consideration to the highest and best use of the assets. The valuation of the Company’s real property improvements and the majority of its personal property was based on the cost approach. The valuation of the Company’s land, as if vacant, and certain personal property assets was based on the market or sales comparison approach. • Indefinite-lived trade names . The Company valued two indefinite-lived trade names using the income approach, specifically the relief from royalty method. Under this method, the asset value of each trade name was determined by estimating the hypothetical royalties that would have to be paid if it was not owned. Royalty rates were selected based on consideration of several factors, including (i) prior transactions involving Tyson Mexico trade names, (ii) incomes derived from license agreements on comparable trade names within the food and non-alcoholic beverages industry and (iii) the relative profitability and perceived contribution of each trade name. Royalty rates used in the determination of the fair values of the two trade names ranged from 4.0% to 5.0% of expected net sales related to the respective trade names and trade name maintenance costs were estimated as 1.4% of the royalty saved. The Company anticipates using both trade names for an indefinite period as demonstrated by the sustained use of each subject trade name. In estimating the fair value of the trade names, net sales related to the respective trade names were estimated to grow at a rate of 3.5% to 4.0% annually with a terminal year growth rate of 3.8% . Income taxes were estimated at 30.0% of pre-tax income, a tax amortization benefit was estimated considering a rate of 15.0% and the hypothetical savings generated by avoiding royalty costs were discounted using a rate of 12.0% . The two trade names were valued at $9.7 million under this approach. • Customer relationships . The Company valued Tyson Mexico’s customer relationships using the income approach, specifically the multi-period excess earnings model. Under this model, the fair value of the customer relationships asset is determined by estimating the net cash inflows from the relationships discounted to present value. In estimating the fair value of the customer relationships, net sales related to our existing customers were estimated to grow at a rate of 4.0% annually, but we also anticipate losing existing customers at an attrition rate of 7.9% . Income taxes were estimated at 30.0% of pre-tax income, a tax amortization benefit was estimated considering a rate of 23.4% and net cash flows attributable to our existing customers were discounted using a rate of 13.5% . Customer relationships were valued at $16.7 million under this approach. The Company recognized the following change in goodwill related to this acquisition during 2016 (in thousands): Goodwill, beginning of period $ 156,565 Additional fair value attributed to acquired property, plant and equipment (51,387 ) Deferred tax impact related to additional fair value attributed to acquired property, plant and equipment 15,416 Deferred tax impact related to customer relationship intangibles 5,013 Goodwill, end of period $ 125,607 Unaudited Pro Forma Financial Information The following unaudited pro forma information presents the combined financial results for the Company, Moy Park, GNP and Tyson Mexico as if all the acquisitions had been completed at the beginning of 2015 . 2017 2016 2015 (In thousands, except per share amounts) Net sales $ 10,773,662 $ 10,311,325 $ 11,157,328 Net income attributable to Pilgrim's Pride Corporation 664,776 401,630 631,800 Net income attributable to Pilgrim's Pride Corporation 2.67 1.58 2.44 The above unaudited pro forma financial information is presented for informational purposes only and does not purport to represent what the Company’s results of operations would have been had it completed the acquisitions on the date assumed, nor is it necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected in future periods. Pro forma adjustments exclude cost savings from any synergies resulting from the acquisitions.

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS	FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS Fair value is an exit price, representing the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants. Assets and liabilities measured at fair value must be categorized into one of three different levels depending on the assumptions (i.e., inputs) used in the valuation: Level 1 Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities; Level 2 Quoted prices in active markets for similar assets and liabilities and inputs that are observable for the asset or liability; or Level 3 Unobservable inputs, such as discounted cash flow models or valuations. The determination of where assets and liabilities fall within this hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety. As of December 31, 2017 and December 25, 2016 , the Company held derivative assets and liabilities that were required to be measured at fair value on a recurring basis. Derivative assets and liabilities consist of long and short positions on exchange-traded commodity futures instruments and foreign currency forward contracts to manage translation and remeasurement risk. The following items were measured at fair value on a recurring basis: December 31, 2017 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total (In thousands) Fair value assets: Commodity futures instruments $ 301 $ — $ — $ 301 Commodity options instruments 421 — — 421 Foreign currency instruments 45 — — 45 Fair value liabilities: Commodity futures instruments (296 ) — — (296 ) Commodity options instruments (3,551 ) — — (3,551 ) Foreign currency instruments (211 ) — — (211 ) December 25, 2016 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total (In thousands) Fair value assets: Commodity futures instruments $ 5,341 $ — $ — $ 5,341 Commodity options instruments 98 — — 98 Foreign currency instruments 516 — — 516 Fair value liabilities: Commodity futures instruments (4,063 ) — — (4,063 ) Commodity option instruments (2,764 ) — — (2,764 ) Foreign currency instruments (153 ) — — (153 ) See “Note 7. Derivative Financial Instruments” for additional information. The valuation of financial assets and liabilities classified in Level 1 is determined using a market approach, taking into account current interest rates, creditworthiness, and liquidity risks in relation to current market conditions, and is based upon unadjusted quoted prices for identical assets in active markets. The valuation of financial assets and liabilities in Level 2 is determined using a market approach based upon quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets or other inputs that are observable for substantially the full term of the financial instrument. The valuation of financial assets in Level 3 is determined using an income approach based on unobservable inputs such as discounted cash flow models or valuations. For each class of assets and liabilities not measured at fair value in the Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheet but for which fair value is disclosed, the Company is not required to provide the quantitative disclosure about significant unobservable inputs used in fair value measurements categorized within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy. In addition to the fair value disclosure requirements related to financial instruments carried at fair value, accounting standards require interim disclosures regarding the fair value of all of the Company’s financial instruments. The methods and significant assumptions used to estimate the fair value of financial instruments and any changes in methods or significant assumptions from prior periods are also required to be disclosed. The carrying amounts and estimated fair values of our fixed-rate debt obligation recorded in the Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheets consisted of the following: December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 Carrying Fair Carrying Fair (In thousands) Fixed-rate senior notes payable at 5.75%, at Level 1 inputs $ (750,000 ) $ (774,375 ) $ (500,000 ) $ (503,395 ) Fixed-rate senior notes payable at 5.875%, at Level 1 inputs (604,820 ) (619,080 ) — — Fixed-rate senior notes payable at 6.25%, at Level 1 inputs (403,444 ) (418,787 ) (369,736 ) (389,709 ) Chattel Mortgages, at Level 3 inputs (873 ) (855 ) (1,432 ) (1,379 ) See “Note 11. Long-Term Debt and Other Borrowing Arrangements” for additional information. The carrying amounts of our cash and cash equivalents, derivative trading accounts' margin cash, restricted cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and certain other liabilities approximate their fair values due to their relatively short maturities. Derivative assets were recorded at fair value based on quoted market prices and are included in the line item Prepaid expenses and other current assets on the Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheet. Derivative liabilities were recorded at fair value based on quoted market prices and are included in the line item Accrued expenses and other current liabilities on the Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheet. The fair values of the Company’s Level 1 fixed-rate debt obligation was based on the quoted market price at December 31, 2017 or December 25, 2016 , as applicable. The fair values of the Company’s Level 3 fixed-rate debt obligation was based on discounted cash flows at December 31, 2017 or December 25, 2016 , as applicable. In addition to assets and liabilities that are recorded at fair value on a recurring basis, the Company records certain assets and liabilities at fair value on a nonrecurring basis. Generally, assets are recorded at fair value on a nonrecurring basis as a result of impairment charges when required by U.S. GAAP. There were no significant fair value measurement losses recognized for such assets and liabilities in the periods reported.

TRADE ACCOUNTS AND OTHER RECEIV

TRADE ACCOUNTS AND OTHER RECEIVABLES	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Accounts Receivable, Net [Abstract]
TRADE ACCOUNTS AND OTHER RECEIVABLES	TRADE ACCOUNTS AND OTHER RECEIVABLES Trade accounts and other receivables (including accounts receivable from related parties), less allowance for doubtful accounts, consisted of the following: December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 (In thousands) Trade accounts receivable $ 548,472 $ 435,818 Notes receivable - current 5,130 630 Other receivables 20,021 15,766 Receivables, gross 573,623 452,214 Allowance for doubtful accounts (8,145 ) (6,661 ) Receivables, net $ 565,478 $ 445,553 Accounts receivable from related parties (a) $ 2,951 $ 4,010 (a) Additional information regarding accounts receivable from related parties is included in “Note 18. Related Party Transactions.” Changes in the allowance for doubtful accounts were as follows: Total (In thousands) Balance at December 25, 2016 $ (6,661 ) Provision charged to operating results (2,700 ) Account write-offs and recoveries 1,538 Effect of exchange rate (322 ) Balance at December 31, 2017 $ (8,145 )

INVENTORIES

INVENTORIES	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
INVENTORIES	INVENTORIES Inventories consisted of the following: December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 (In thousands) Live chicken and hens $ 585,525 $ 407,475 Feed, eggs and other 218,611 257,049 Finished chicken products 390,412 243,824 Total chicken inventories 1,194,548 908,348 Commercial feed, table eggs and other 60,522 67,260 Total inventories $ 1,255,070 $ 975,608

INVESTMENTS IN SECURITIES

INVESTMENTS IN SECURITIES	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Investments, Debt and Equity Securities [Abstract]
INVESTMENTS IN SECURITIES	INVESTMENTS IN SECURITIES We recognize investments in available-for-sale securities as cash equivalents, current investments or long-term investments depending upon each security’s length to maturity. Additionally, those securities identified by management at the time of purchase for funding operations in less than one year are classified as current. The following table summarizes our investments in available-for-sale securities: December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 Fair Fair (In thousands) Cash equivalents: Fixed income securities $ 330,456 $ 330,456 $ 140,480 $ 140,480 Other 942 942 61 61 Securities classified as cash and cash equivalents mature within 90 days. Securities classified as short-term investments mature between 91 and 365 days. Securities classified as long-term investments mature after 365 days. The specific identification method is used to determine the cost of each security sold and each amount reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive loss to earnings. Gross realized gains recognized during 2017 and 2016 related to the Company’s available-for-sale securities totaled $0.4 million and $0.9 million , respectively. Gross realized losses recognized during 2017 and 2016 related to the Company’s available-for-sale securities totaled $6,500 and $83,400 , respectively. Proceeds received from the sale or maturity of available-for-sale securities during 2017 and 2016 are disclosed in the Consolidated and Combined Statements of Cash Flows. Net unrealized holding gains and losses on the Company’s available-for-sale securities recognized during 2017 and 2016 that have been included in accumulated other comprehensive loss and the net amount of gains and losses reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive loss to earnings during 2017 and 2016 are disclosed in “Note 14. Stockholders’ Equity.”

DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENT

DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS	DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS The Company utilizes various raw materials in its operations, including corn, soybean meal, soybean oil, sorghum, natural gas, electricity and diesel fuel, which are all considered commodities. The Company considers these raw materials generally available from a number of different sources and believes it can obtain them to meet its requirements. These commodities are subject to price fluctuations and related price risk due to factors beyond our control, such as economic and political conditions, supply and demand, weather, governmental regulation and other circumstances. Generally, the Company purchases derivative financial instruments, specifically exchange-traded futures and options, in an attempt to mitigate price risk related to its anticipated consumption of commodity inputs for approximately the next 12 months. The Company may purchase longer-term derivative financial instruments on particular commodities if deemed appropriate. The Company has operations in Mexico and Europe (including the U.K.) and, therefore, has exposure to translational foreign exchange risk when the financial results of those operations are remeasured in U.S. dollars. The Company has purchased foreign currency forward contracts to manage this translational foreign exchange risk. The fair value of derivative assets is included in the line item Prepaid expenses and other current assets on the Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheets while the fair value of derivative liabilities is included in the line item Accrued expenses and other current liabilities on the same statements. Our counterparties require that we post cash collateral for changes in the net fair value of the derivative contracts. We have not designated certain derivative financial instruments that we have purchased to mitigate commodity purchase or foreign currency transaction exposures on our Mexico operations as cash flow hedges. Items designated as cash flow hedges are disclosed and described further below. Therefore, we recognized changes in the fair value of these derivative financial instruments immediately in earnings. Gains or losses related to these derivative financial instruments are included in the line item Cost of sales in the Consolidated and Combined Statements of Income. We have designated certain derivative financial instruments related to our U.K. and Europe segment that we have purchased to mitigate foreign currency transaction exposures as cash flow hedges. Before the settlement date of the financial derivative instruments, we recognize changes in the fair value of the effective portion of the cash flow hedge into accumulated other comprehensive income (“AOCI”) while we recognize changes in the fair value of the ineffective portion immediately in earnings. When the derivative financial instruments associated with the effective portion are settled, the amount in AOCI is then reclassified to earnings. Gains or losses related to these derivative financial instruments are included in the line item Cost of sales in the Consolidated and Combined Statements of Income. The Company recognized $6.7 million in net gains related to changes in the fair value of its derivative financial instruments during 2017 . The Company recognized $4.3 million in net losses and $21.6 million in net gains related to changes in the fair value of its derivative financial instruments during 2016 and 2015 , respectively. Information regarding the Company’s outstanding derivative instruments and cash collateral posted with (owed to) brokers is included in the following table: December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 (Fair values in thousands) Fair values: Commodity derivative assets $ 722 $ 5,439 Commodity derivative liabilities (3,847 ) (6,827 ) Foreign currency derivative assets 45 516 Foreign currency derivative liabilities (211 ) (153 ) Cash collateral posted with brokers 8,021 4,979 Derivatives Coverage (a) : Corn 3.1 % 2.3 % Soybean meal 1.7 % 0.3 % Period through which stated percent of needs are covered: Corn March 2019 September 2018 Soybean meal December 2018 July 2017 (a) Derivatives coverage is the percent of anticipated corn and soybean meal needs covered by outstanding derivative instruments through a specified date. The following tables present the components of the gain or loss on derivatives that qualify as cash flow hedges: Gain (Loss) Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income on Derivative (Effective Portion) December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 December 27, 2015 (In thousands) Foreign currency derivatives gain (loss) $ (60 ) $ 152 $ 55 Total $ (60 ) $ 152 $ 55 Net Realized Gain (Loss) Recognized in Income on Derivative (Ineffective Portion) December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 December 27, 2015 (In thousands) Foreign currency derivatives $ — $ — $ — Total $ — $ — $ — Gain (Loss) Reclassified from AOCI into Income (Effective Portion) December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 December 27, 2015 (In thousands) Foreign currency derivatives gain (loss) $ 639 $ (310 ) $ 5 Total $ 639 $ (310 ) $ 5 At December 31, 2017, the before-tax deferred net gains on derivatives recorded in AOCI that are expected to be reclassified to the Consolidated and Combined Statements of Income during the next twelve months are $0.5 million . This expectation is based on the anticipated settlements on the hedged investments in foreign currencies that will occur over the next twelve months, at which time the Company will recognize the deferred gains (losses) to earnings. The Company reported a $16.7 million adjustment resulting from the translation of a British pound-denominated note payable owed to JBS S.A. as a component of Accumulated other comprehensive loss in the Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2017. The Company designated this note payable as a hedge of its net investment in Moy Park.

GOODWILL AND IDENTIFIED INTANGI

GOODWILL AND IDENTIFIED INTANGIBLE ASSETS	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
GOODWILL AND IDENTIFIED INTANGIBLE ASSETS	GOODWILL AND IDENTIFIED INTANGIBLE ASSETS The activity in goodwill by segment for the years ended December 31, 2017 and December 25, 2016 were as follows: December 25, 2016 Additions Currency Translation December 31, 2017 (In thousands) United States $ — $ 41,936 $ — $ 41,936 U.K. and Europe 761,614 — 72,732 834,346 Mexico 125,607 — — 125,607 Total $ 887,221 $ 41,936 $ 72,732 $ 1,001,889 December 27, 2015 Additions Currency Translation December 25, 2016 (In thousands) United States $ — $ — $ — $ — U.K. and Europe 915,641 — (154,027 ) 761,614 Mexico 156,565 (30,958 ) — 125,607 Total $ 1,072,206 $ (30,958 ) $ (154,027 ) $ 887,221 Identified intangible assets consisted of the following: December 25, 2016 Additions Amortization Currency Translation Disposals December 31, 2017 (In thousands) Carrying amount: Trade names $ 41,369 $ 38,200 $ — $ 117 $ — $ 79,686 Customer relationships 151,147 92,900 — 7,905 — 251,952 Non-compete agreements 300 20 — — — 320 Trade names not subject to amortization 369,258 — — 34,336 — 403,594 Accumulated amortization: — Trade names (37,128 ) — (3,808 ) 48 — (40,888 ) Customer relationships (53,055 ) — (22,571 ) (1,568 ) — (77,194 ) Non-compete agreements (300 ) — (7 ) — — (307 ) Total $ 471,591 $ 131,120 $ (26,386 ) $ 40,838 $ — $ 617,163 December 27, 2015 Additions Amortization Currency Translation Disposals December 25, 2016 (In thousands) Carrying amount: Trade names $ 41,617 $ — $ — $ (248 ) $ — $ 41,369 Customer relationships 168,021 — — (16,874 ) — 151,147 Non-compete agreements 300 — — — — 300 Trade names not subject to amortization 441,974 — — (72,716 ) — 369,258 Accumulated amortization: — Trade names (35,216 ) — (1,905 ) (7 ) — (37,128 ) Customer relationships (37,583 ) — (16,834 ) 1,362 — (53,055 ) Non-compete agreements (300 ) — — — (300 ) Total $ 578,813 $ — $ (18,739 ) $ (88,483 ) $ — $ 471,591 Intangible assets are amortized over the estimated useful lives of the assets as follows: Customer relationships 5-16 years Trade names 3-20 years Non-compete agreements 3 years The Company recognized amortization expense related to identified intangible assets of $26.4 million in 2017, $18.7 million in 2016 and $8.5 million in 2015. The Company expects to recognize amortization expense associated with identified intangible assets of $24.9 million in 2018, $23.5 million in 2019, $19.7 million in 2020, $19.7 million in 2021 and $19.7 million in 2022. At December 31, 2017 , the Company assessed qualitative factors to determine if it was necessary to perform either the two-step quantitative impairment test related to the carrying amount of its goodwill or quantitative impairment tests related to the carrying amounts of its identified intangible assets not subject to amortization. Based on these assessments, the Company determined that it was not necessary to perform either the two-step quantitative impairment test related to the carrying amount of its goodwill nor the quantitative impairment tests related to the carrying amounts its identified intangible assets not subject to amortization at that date. At December 31, 2017 , the Company assessed if events or changes in circumstances indicated that the aggregate carrying amount of its identified intangible assets subject to amortization might not be recoverable. There were no indicators present that required the Company to test the recoverability of the aggregate carrying amount of its identified intangible assets subject to amortization at that date.

PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT

PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]
PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT	PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT Property, plant and equipment (“PP&E”), net consisted of the following: December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 (In thousands) Land $ 205,087 $ 150,127 Buildings 1,681,610 1,487,353 Machinery and equipment 2,533,522 2,268,526 Autos and trucks 58,159 58,454 Construction-in-progress 187,094 255,086 Property, plant and equipment, gross 4,665,472 4,219,546 Accumulated depreciation (2,570,325 ) (2,385,561 ) Property, plant and equipment, net $ 2,095,147 $ 1,833,985 The Company recognized depreciation expense of $245.4 million , $210.5 million and $161.7 million during 2017 , 2016 and 2015 , respectively. During 2017 , the Company spent $339.9 million on capital projects and transferred $411.8 million of completed projects from construction-in-progress to depreciable assets. During 2016 , the Company spent $341.0 million on capital projects and transferred $269.6 million of completed projects from construction-in-progress to depreciable assets. Capital expenditures were primarily incurred during 2017 to improve operational efficiencies, reduce costs and tailor processes to meet specific customer needs in order to further solidify competitive advantages for the Company. During 2017 , the Company sold certain PP&E for $4.5 million and recognized a gain of $0.5 million . PP&E sold in 2017 included a processing plant in Texas, a feed mill in Arkansas, poultry farms in Alabama and Texas, vacant land in Texas, a processing plant in Ireland, a hatchery in the U.K. and miscellaneous equipment. During 2016 , the Company sold certain PP&E for $13.4 million and recognized a gain of $8.9 million . PP&E sold in 2016 included a processing plant in Louisiana, poultry farms in Mexico and Texas, vacant land in Alabama and Texas, an office building in Texas and miscellaneous equipment. Management has committed to the sale of certain properties and related assets, including, but not limited to, a processing complex in Alabama and other miscellaneous assets, which no longer fit into the operating plans of the Company. The Company is actively marketing these properties and related assets for immediate sale and believes a sale of each property can be consummated within the next 12 months. At December 31, 2017 , the Company reported assets held for sale totaling $0.7 million in Assets held for sale on its Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheets. The Company tested the recoverability of its Alabama processing complex held for sale at various effective dates during 2017. The Company determined that the aggregate carrying amount of this asset group at June 25, 2017, was not recoverable over the remaining life of the primary asset in the group and recognized impairment costs of $3.5 million within its U.S. segment, which is reported in the line item Administrative restructuring charges on its Consolidated and Combined Statements of Income. The Company determined that the aggregate carrying amount at December 31, 2017 of this asset group was recoverable over the remaining life of the primary asset in the group. The Company tested the recoverability of its Ireland processing facility held for sale at various effective dates during 2017. The Company determined that the aggregate carrying amount of this asset group at September 24, 2017, was not recoverable over the remaining life of the primary asset in the group and recognized impairment costs of $1.5 million within its U.K. segment, which is reported in the line item Administrative restructuring charges on its Consolidated and Combined Statements of Income. The Ireland processing facility was sold in December 2017. The Company has closed or idled various processing complexes, processing plants, hatcheries, broiler farms, and feed mills throughout the U.S. segment. Neither the Board of Directors nor JBS has determined if it would be in the best interest of the Company to divest any of these closed or idled assets. Management is therefore, not certain that it can or will divest any of these assets within one year, is not actively marketing these assets and, accordingly, has not classified them as assets held for sale. The Company continues to depreciate these assets. At December 31, 2017 , the carrying amount of these idled assets was $48.6 million based on depreciable value of $166.7 million and accumulated depreciation of $118.1 million . The Company has closed or idled various processing complexes, processing plants, hatcheries, and other miscellaneous assets, throughout the U.K. and Europe segment. Neither the Board of Directors nor JBS has determined if it would be in the best interest of the Company to divest any of these closed or idled assets. Management is therefore not certain that it can or will divest any of these assets within one year, is not actively marketing these assets and, accordingly, has not classified them as assets held for sale. The Company continues to depreciate these assets. At December 31, 2017 , the carrying amount of these idled assets was $2.9 million based on depreciable value of $11.4 million and accumulated depreciation of $8.5 million . At December 31, 2017, the Company assessed if events or changes in circumstances indicated that the aggregate carrying amount of its property, plant and equipment held for use might not be recoverable. There were no indicators present that required the Company to test the recoverability of the aggregate carrying amount of its property, plant and equipment held for use at that date.

CURRENT LIABILITIES

CURRENT LIABILITIES	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Payables and Accruals [Abstract]
CURRENT LIABILITIES	CURRENT LIABILITIES Current liabilities, other than income taxes and current maturities of long-term debt, consisted of the following components: December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 (In thousands) Accounts payable: Trade accounts $ 691,176 $ 722,495 Book overdrafts 56,022 63,577 Other payables 15,246 4,306 Total accounts payable 762,444 790,378 Accounts payable to related parties (a) 2,889 4,468 Accrued expenses and other current liabilities: Compensation and benefits 181,678 160,591 Interest and debt-related fees 29,750 10,907 Insurance and self-insured claims 79,911 82,544 Derivative liabilities: Commodity futures 296 4,063 Commodity options 3,551 2,764 Foreign currency derivatives 211 153 Other accrued expenses 121,944 85,999 Total accrued expenses and other current liabilities 417,341 347,021 $ 1,182,674 $ 1,141,867 (a) Additional information regarding accounts payable to related parties is included in “Note 18. Related Party Transactions.”

LONG-TERM DEBT AND OTHER BORROW

LONG-TERM DEBT AND OTHER BORROWING ARRANGEMENTS	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
LONG-TERM DEBT AND OTHER BORROWING ARRANGEMENTS	LONG-TERM DEBT AND OTHER BORROWING ARRANGEMENTS Long-term debt consisted of the following components: Maturity December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 Long-term debt and other long-term borrowing arrangements: (In thousands) Senior notes payable, net of unaccreted premium at 5.75% 2025 $ 754,820 $ 500,000 Senior notes payable at 5.875% 2027 600,000 — Senior notes payable at 6.25% 2021 403,444 369,736 U.S. Credit Facility (defined below): Term note payable at 2.61% 2022 780,000 500,000 Revolving note payable at 2.84% 2022 73,262 — Mexico Credit Facility (defined below) with notes payable at TIIE rate plus 0.90% 2019 76,307 23,304 Moy Park Multicurrency Revolving Facility with notes payable at LIBOR rate plus 2.5% 2019 9,590 11,985 Moy Park Receivables Finance Agreement with payables at LIBOR plus 1.5% 2020 — — Moy Park France Invoice Discounting Revolver with payables at EURIBOR plus 0.8% 2018 1,815 8,918 Chattels mortgages at weighted average of 3.74% Various 873 1,432 Term Loan Agence L’eau 2018 — 6 Capital lease obligations Various 9,239 14,600 Long-term debt 2,709,350 1,429,981 Less: Current maturities of long-term debt (47,775 ) (15,712 ) Long-term debt, less current maturities 2,661,575 1,414,269 Less: Capitalized financing costs (25,958 ) (18,145 ) Long-term debt, less current maturities, net of capitalized financing costs: $ 2,635,617 $ 1,396,124 U.S. Senior Notes On March 11, 2015, the Company completed a sale of $500.0 million aggregate principal amount of its 5.75% senior notes due 2025 (the “Senior Notes due 2025”). The Company used the net proceeds from the sale of the Senior Notes to repay $350.0 million and $150.0 million of the term loan indebtedness under the U.S. Credit Facility on March 12, 2015 and April 22, 2015, respectively. On September 29, 2017, the Company completed an add-on offering of $250.0 million of the Senior Notes due 2025 (the “Additional Senior Notes due 2025”). The issuance price of the add-on offering was 102.0% which created gross proceeds of $255.0 million . The additional $5.0 million will be amortized over the life of the bond. The Company used the net proceeds from the sale of the Additional Senior Notes due 2025 to repay in full the JBS S.A. Promissory Note (as described below) issued as part of the Moy Park acquisition and for general corporate purposes. The Additional Senior Notes due 2025 will be treated as a single class with the existing Senior Notes due 2025 for all purposes under the 2015 Indenture (defined below) and will have the same terms as those of the existing Senior Notes due 2025. The Additional Senior Notes due 2025 were sold to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and outside the United States to non-U.S. persons pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act. The Senior Notes due 2025 and the Additional Senior Notes due 2025 are governed by, and were issued pursuant to, an indenture dated as of March 11, 2015 by and among the Company, its guarantor subsidiary and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as trustee (the “2015 Indenture”). The 2015 Indenture provides, among other things, that the Senior Notes due 2025 and the Additional Senior Notes due 2025 bear interest at a rate of 5.75% per annum from the date of issuance until maturity, payable semi-annually in cash in arrears, beginning on September 15, 2015 for the Senior Notes due 2025 and March, 15 2018 for the Additional Senior Notes due 2025. The Senior Notes due 2025 and the Additional Senior Notes due 2025 are guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by the Company’s guarantor subsidiary. In addition, any of the Company’s other existing or future domestic restricted subsidiaries that incur or guarantee any other indebtedness (with limited exceptions) must also guarantee the Senior Notes due 2025 and the Additional Senior Notes due 2025. The Senior Notes due 2025 and the Additional Senior Notes due 2025 and related guarantees are unsecured senior obligations of the Company and its guarantor subsidiary and rank equally with all of the Company’s and its guarantor subsidiary’s other unsubordinated indebtedness. The Senior Notes due 2025 and the Additional Senior Notes due 2025 and the 2015 Indenture also contain customary covenants and events of default, including failure to pay principal or interest on the Senior Notes due 2025 and the Additional Senior Notes due 2025 when due, among others. On September 29, 2017, the Company completed a sale of $600.0 million aggregate principal amount of its 5.875% senior notes due 2027 (the “Senior Notes due 2027”). The Company used the net proceeds from the sale of the Senior Notes due 2027 to repay in full the JBS S.A. Promissory Note issued as part of the Moy Park acquisition and for general corporate purposes. The Senior Notes due 2027 were sold to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act, and outside the United States to non-U.S. persons pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act. The Senior Notes due 2027 are governed by, and were issued pursuant to, an indenture dated as of September 29, 2017 by and among the Company, its guarantor subsidiary and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee (the “2017 Indenture”). The 2017 Indenture provides, among other things, that the Senior Notes due 2027 bear interest at a rate of 5.875% per annum from the date of issuance until maturity, payable semi-annually in cash in arrears, beginning on March 30, 2018. The Senior Notes due 2027 are guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by the Company’s guarantor subsidiary. In addition, any of the Company’s other existing or future domestic restricted subsidiaries that incur or guarantee any other indebtedness (with limited exceptions) must also guarantee the Senior Notes due 2027. The Senior Notes due 2027 and related guarantees are unsecured senior obligations of the Company and its guarantor subsidiary and rank equally with all of the Company’s and its guarantor subsidiary’s other unsubordinated indebtedness. The Senior Notes due 2027 and the 2017 Indenture also contain customary covenants and events of default, including failure to pay principal or interest on the Senior Notes due 2027 when due, among others. Moy Park Senior Notes On May 29, 2014, Moy Park (Bondco) Plc, a subsidiary of Granite Holdings Sàrl, completed the sale of a £ 200.0 million aggregate principal amount of its 6.25% senior notes due 2021 (the “Moy Park Notes”). On April 17, 2015, an add-on offering of £ 100.0 million of the Moy Park Notes (the “Additional Moy Park Notes”) was completed. The Moy Park Notes and the Additional Moy Park Notes were sold to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act, and outside the United States to non-U.S. persons pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act . The Moy Park Notes and the Additional Moy Park Notes are governed by, and were issued pursuant to, an indenture dated as of May 29, 2014 by Moy Park (Bondco) Plc, as issuer, Moy Park Holdings (Europe) Limited, Moy Park (Newco) Limited, Moy Park Limited, O’Kane Poultry Limited, as guarantors, and The Bank of New York Mellon, as trustee (the “Moy Park Indenture”). The Moy Park Indenture provides, among other things, that the Moy Park Notes and the Additional Moy Park Notes bear interest at a rate of 6.25% per annum from the date of issuance until maturity, payable semiannually in cash in arrears, beginning on November 29, 2014 for the Moy Park Notes and May 28, 2015 for the Additional Moy Park Notes. The Moy Park Notes and the Additional Moy Park Notes are guaranteed by each of the subsidiary guarantors described above. The Moy Park Indenture contains customary covenants and events of default that may limit Moy Park (Bondco) Plc’s ability and the ability of certain subsidiaries to incur additional debt, declare or pay dividends or make certain investments, among others. On November 2, 2017, Moy Park (Bondco) Plc announced the final results of its previously announced tender offer to purchase for cash any and all of its issued and outstanding Moy Park Notes and Moy Park Additional Notes. As of November 2, 2017, £1,185,000 principal amount of Moy Park Notes and Moy Park Additional Notes had been validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn). Moy Park (Bondco) Plc has purchased all validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn) Moy Park Notes and Moy Park Additional Notes on or prior to November 2, 2017, with such settlement occurring on November 3, 2017. U.S. Credit Facility On May 8, 2017, the Company and certain of its subsidiaries entered into a Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (the “U.S. Credit Facility”) with Coöperatieve Rabobank U.A., New York Branch (“Rabobank”), as administrative agent and collateral agent, and the other lenders party thereto. The U.S. Credit Facility provides for a revolving loan commitment of up to $750.0 million and a term loan commitment of up to $800.0 million (the “Term Loans”). The U.S. Credit Facility also includes an accordion feature that allows the Company, at any time, to increase the aggregate revolving loan and term loan commitments by up to an additional $1.0 billion , subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including obtaining the lenders’ agreement to participate in the increase. The revolving loan commitment under the U.S. Credit Facility matures on May 6, 2022. All principal on the Term Loans is due at maturity on May 6, 2022. Installments of principal are required to be made, in an amount equal to 1.25% of the original principal amount of the Term Loans, on a quarterly basis prior to the maturity date of the Term Loans. Covenants in the U.S. Credit Facility also require the Company to use the proceeds it receives from certain asset sales and specified debt or equity issuances and upon the occurrence of other events to repay outstanding borrowings under the U.S. Credit Facility. As of December 31, 2017, the company had Term Loans outstanding totaling $780.0 million and the amount available for borrowing under the revolving loan commitment was $631.9 million . The Company had letters of credit of $44.8 million and borrowings of $73.3 million outstanding under the revolving loan commitment as of December 31, 2017. The U.S. Credit Facility includes a $75.0 million sub-limit for swingline loans and a $125.0 million sub-limit for letters of credit. Outstanding borrowings under the revolving loan commitment and the Term Loans bear interest at a per annum rate equal to (i) in the case of LIBOR loans, LIBOR plus 1.50% through December 31, 2017 and, thereafter, based on the Company’s net senior secured leverage ratio, between LIBOR plus 1.25% and LIBOR plus 2.75% and (ii) in the case of alternate base rate loans, the base rate plus 0.50% through December 31, 2017 and, based on the Company’s net senior secured leverage ratio, between the base rate plus 0.25% and base rate plus 1.75% thereafter. The U.S. Credit Facility contains financial covenants and various other covenants that may adversely affect the Company’s ability to, among other things, incur additional indebtedness, incur liens, pay dividends or make certain restricted payments, consummate certain assets sales, enter into certain transactions with JBS and the Company’s other affiliates, merge, consolidate and/or sell or dispose of all or substantially all of our assets. The U.S. Credit Facility requires the Company to comply with a minimum level of tangible net worth covenant. The U.S. Credit Facility also provides that we may not incur capital expenditures in excess of $500.0 million in any fiscal year. The Company is currently in compliance with the covenants under the U.S. Credit Facility. All obligations under the U.S. Credit Facility continue to be unconditionally guaranteed by certain of the Company’s subsidiaries and continue to be secured by a first priority lien on (i) the accounts receivable and inventory of our company and its non-Mexico subsidiaries, (ii) 100% of the equity interests in our domestic subsidiaries, To-Ricos, Ltd. and To-Ricos Distribution, Ltd., and 65% of the equity interests in our direct foreign subsidiaries and (iii) substantially all of the assets of the Company and the guarantors under the U.S. Credit Facility. Mexico Credit Facility On September 27, 2016, certain of our Mexican subsidiaries entered into an unsecured credit agreement (the “Mexico Credit Facility”) with BBVA Bancomer, S.A. Institución de Banca Múltiple, Grupo Financiero BBVA Bancomer, as lender. The loan commitment under the Mexico Credit Facility was $1.5 billion Mexican pesos. Outstanding borrowings under the Mexico Credit Facility accrued interest at a rate equal to the Interbank Equilibrium Interest Rate plus 0.95% . The Mexico Credit Facility will mature on September 27, 2019. As of December 31, 2017 , the U.S. dollar-equivalent of the loan commitment under the Mexico Credit Facility was $76.3 million , and there were $76.3 million outstanding borrowings under the Mexico Credit Facility that bear interest at a per annum rate of 8.34% . As of December 31, 2017 , the U.S. dollar-equivalent borrowing availability was less than $0.1 million . Moy Park Multicurrency Revolving Facility Agreement On March 19, 2015, Moy Park Holdings (Europe) Limited, a subsidiary of Granite Holdings Sàrl, and its subsidiaries, entered into an agreement with Barclays Bank plc which matures on March, 2019. The agreement provides for a multicurrency revolving loan commitment of up to £ 20.0 million . As of December 31, 2017, the U.S. dollar-equivalent loan commitment under Moy Park multicurrency revolving facility was $27.0 million and there were $9.6 million outstanding borrowings. Outstanding borrowings under the facility bear interest at a per annum rate equal to LIBOR plus a margin determined by Moy Park’s Net Debt to EBITDA ratio. The current margin stands at 2.2% . As of December 31, 2017, the U.S. dollar-equivalent borrowing availability was $17.4 million . The facility contains financial covenants and various other covenants that may adversely affect Moy Park's ability to, among other things, incur additional indebtedness, consummate certain assets sales, enter into certain transactions with JBS and the Company's other affiliates, merge, consolidate and/or sell or dispose of all or substantially all of the Moy Park's assets. Moy Park Receivables Finance Agreement Moy Park Limited, a subsidiary of Granite Holdings Sàrl, entered into a £45.0 million receivables finance agreement on January 29, 2016 (the “Receivables Finance Agreement”), with Barclays Bank plc, which matures on January 29, 2020. As of December 31, 2017, the U.S. dollar-equivalent loan commitment under the Receivables Finance Agreement was $60.8 million and there were no outstanding borrowings. Outstanding borrowings under the facility bear interest at a per annum rate equal to LIBOR plus 1.5% . The Receivables Finance Agreement includes an accordion feature that allows us, at any time, to increase the commitments by up to an additional £ 15.0 million (U.S. dollar-equivalent $20.3 million as of December 31, 2017), subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions. The Receivables Finance Agreement contains financial covenants and various other covenants that may adversely affect Moy Park's ability to, among other things, incur additional indebtedness, consummate certain asset sales, enter into certain transactions with JBS and the Company's other affiliates, merge, consolidate and/or sell or dispose of all or substantially all of Moy Park's assets. Moy Park France Invoice Discounting Facility In June 2009, Moy Park France Sàrl, a subsidiary of Granite Holdings Sàrl, entered into a €20.0 million invoice discounting facility with GE De Facto (the “Invoice Discounting Facility”). The facility limit was increased €10.0 million in September 2016 to €30.0 million . The Invoice Discounting Facility is payable on demand and the term is extended on an annual basis. The agreement can be terminated with three months’ notice. As of December 31, 2017, the U.S. dollar-equivalent loan commitment under the Invoice Discounting Facility was $36.0 million and there were $1.8 million outstanding borrowings. As of December 31, 2017, the U.S. dollar-equivalent borrowing availability was $34.2 million . Outstanding borrowings under the Invoice Discounting Facility bear interest at a per annum rate equal to EURIBOR plus a margin of 0.80% . The Invoice Discounting Facility contains financial covenants and various other covenants that may adversely affect Moy Park's ability to, among other things, incur additional indebtedness, consummate certain asset sales, enter into certain transactions with JBS and the Company's other affiliates, merge, consolidate and/or sell or dispose of all or substantially all of Moy Park's assets. JBS S.A. Promissory Note On September 8, 2017, Onix Investments UK Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation, executed a subordinated promissory note payable to JBS S.A. (the “JBS S.A. Promissory Note”) for £562.5 million , which had a maturity date of September 6, 2018. Interest on the outstanding principal balance of the JBS S.A. Promissory Note accrued at the rate per annum equal to (i) from and after November 8, 2017 and prior to January 7, 2018, 4.00% , (ii) from and after January 7, 2018 and prior to March 8, 2018, 6.00% and (iii) from and after March 8, 2018, 8.00% . The JBS S.A. Promissory Note was repaid in full on October 2, 2017 using the net proceeds from the sale of Senior Notes due 2027 and the Additional Senior Notes due 2025.

INCOME TAXES

INCOME TAXES	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
INCOME TAXES	INCOME TAXES Income before income taxes by jurisdiction is as follows: 2017 2016 2015 (In thousands) U.S. $ 773,160 $ 532,853 $ 920,250 Foreign 208,906 191,183 81,074 Total $ 982,066 $ 724,036 $ 1,001,324 The components of income tax expense (benefit) are set forth below: 2017 2016 2015 (In thousands) Current: Federal $ 213,146 $ 165,989 $ 248,821 Foreign 65,100 62,753 43,640 State and other 35,614 20,211 26,019 Total current 313,860 248,953 318,480 Deferred: Federal (19,434 ) (3,529 ) 32,819 Foreign (34,264 ) (2,490 ) (19,695 ) State and other 3,737 985 6,748 Total deferred (49,961 ) (5,034 ) 19,872 $ 263,899 $ 243,919 $ 338,352 The effective tax rate for 2017 was 26.9% compared to 34.6% for 2016 and 34.9% for 2015. The following table reconciles the statutory U.S. federal income tax rate to the Company’s effective income tax rate: 2017 2016 2015 Federal income tax rate 35.0 % 35.0 % 35.0 % State tax rate, net 2.6 2.4 2.3 Domestic production activity (1.6 ) (1.3 ) (1.9 ) Difference in U.S. statutory tax rate and foreign country effective tax rate (1.4 ) (1.4 ) (0.9 ) Rate change (5.3 ) — — Tax credits (0.5 ) (0.6 ) (0.7 ) Change in reserve for unrecognized tax benefits (0.7 ) (0.2 ) (0.1 ) Change in valuation allowance (1.2 ) (0.1 ) — Other — 0.8 1.2 Total 26.9 % 34.6 % 34.9 % On December 22, 2017, the U.S. government enacted comprehensive tax legislation (the “Tax Act”), which significantly revises the ongoing U.S. corporate income tax law by lowering the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate from 35.0% to 21.0% , implementing a territorial tax system, imposing one-time tax on foreign unremitted earnings and setting limitations on deductibility of certain costs (e.g., interest expense), among other things. Due to the complexities involved in accounting for the recently enacted Tax Act, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Staff Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) 118 requires that the Company include in its financial statements the reasonable estimate of the impact of the Tax Act on earnings to the extent such reasonable estimate has been determined. Accordingly, the Company accrued $41.5 million in provisional tax benefit related to the net change in deferred tax liabilities stemming from the Tax Act’s reduction of the U.S. federal tax rate from 35.0% to 21.0% for the year ended December 31, 2017. Additionally, the Company is currently estimating a zero tax liability on foreign unremitted earnings due to a net earnings and profits (“E&P”) deficit on accumulated post-1986 deferred foreign income. Therefore, the Company has not accrued any amount of tax expense for the Tax Act’s one-time transition tax on the foreign subsidiaries’ accumulated, unremitted earnings going back to 1986 for the year ended December 31, 2017. The Company will continue to analyze historical E&P on accumulated post-1986 deferred foreign income and will record any resulting tax adjustment during 2018. All other accounting as required by the Tax Act as of December 31, 2017 is complete The Tax Act also includes a provision to tax global intangible low-taxed income (“GILTI”) of foreign subsidiaries and a base erosion anti-abuse tax (“BEAT”) measure that taxes certain payments between a U.S. corporation and its subsidiaries. The Company may be subject to the GILTI and BEAT provisions effective beginning January 1, 2018 and is in the process of analyzing their effects, including how to account for the GILTI provision from an accounting policy standpoint. The final impact on the Company from the Tax Act’s transition tax legislation may differ from the aforementioned one-time transition tax amount due to the complexity of calculating and supporting with primary evidence such U.S. tax attributes as accumulated foreign earnings and profits, foreign tax paid, and other tax components involved in foreign tax credit calculations for prior years back to 1986. Such differences could be material, due to, among other things, changes in interpretations of the Tax Act, future legislative action to address questions that arise because of the Tax Act, changes in accounting standards for income taxes or related interpretations in response to the Tax Act, or any updates or changes to estimates the company has utilized to calculate the one-time transition tax. Significant components of the Company’s deferred tax liabilities and assets are as follows: December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 (In thousands) Deferred tax liabilities: PP&E and identified intangible assets $ 213,500 $ 242,991 Inventories 57,641 93,114 Insurance claims and losses 29,253 42,186 Business combinations 50,695 47,260 Other 18,519 7,938 Total deferred tax liabilities 369,608 433,489 Deferred tax assets: Net operating losses 3,276 3,396 Foreign net operating losses 26,934 32,825 Credit carry forwards 2,425 2,080 Allowance for doubtful accounts 1,767 4,274 Accrued liabilities 50,389 57,567 Workers compensation 26,119 38,834 Pension and other postretirement benefits 13,379 21,903 Other 51,306 46,414 Total deferred tax assets 175,595 207,293 Valuation allowance (14,479 ) (25,611 ) Net deferred tax assets 161,116 181,682 Net deferred tax liabilities $ 208,492 $ 251,807 In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which those temporary differences become deductible. Management considers the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities (including the impact of available carry back and carry forward periods), projected future taxable income and tax-planning strategies in making this assessment. As of December 31, 2017 , the Company believes it has sufficient positive evidence to conclude that realization of its federal and state net deferred tax assets is more likely than not to be realized. The decrease in valuation allowance of $11.1 million during 2017 was primarily due to a release of valuation on certain Mexico and U.K. net operating losses. As of December 31, 2017 , the Company’s valuation allowance is $14.5 million , of which $13.9 million relates to U.K. and Europe operations, $0.5 million relates to state net operating losses and $0.1 million relates to its Mexico operations. As of December 31, 2017 , the Company had state net operating loss carry forwards of approximately $98.0 million that will begin to expire in 2018 . The Company also had Mexico net operating loss carry forwards at December 31, 2017 of approximately $19.3 million that begin to expire in 2018 . As of December 31, 2017 , the Company had approximately $2.1 million of state tax credit carry forwards that begin to expire in 2018 . On November 6, 2009, H.R. 3548 was signed into law and included a provision that allowed most business taxpayers an increased carry back period for net operating losses incurred in 2008 or 2009. As a result, during 2009 the Company utilized $547.7 million of its U.S. federal net operating losses under the expanded carry back provisions of H.R. 3548 and filed a claim for refund of $169.7 million . The Company received $122.6 million in refunds from the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) from the carry back claims during 2010. The Company anticipates receipt of the remainder of its claim pending resolution of its litigation with the IRS. See “Note 19. Commitments and Contingencies” for additional information. The Company has not provided any deferred income taxes on the undistributed earnings of its foreign subsidiaries as of December 31, 2017 based upon the determination that such earnings will be indefinitely reinvested. It is not practicable to determine the amount of incremental taxes that might arise if these earnings were to be remitted. For the fifty-three weeks ended December 31, 2017 and fifty-two weeks ended December 25, 2016, there is a tax effect of $4.0 million and $3.2 million , respectively, reflected in other comprehensive income. Beginning in 2017, as a result of the new FASB guidance on share-based payments, excess tax benefits are now required to be reported in income tax expense rather than in additional paid-in capital. For the fifty-three weeks ended December 31, 2017, there is a tax effect of $1.1 million reflected in income tax expense due to excess tax benefits related to share-based compensation. For the fifty-two weeks ended December 25, 2016, there is no tax effect reflected in additional paid-in capital due to excess tax benefits related to share-based compensation. See “Note 1. Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” for additional information. A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amounts of unrecognized tax benefits is as follows: December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 (In thousands) Unrecognized tax benefits, beginning of year $ 16,813 $ 17,110 Increase as a result of tax positions taken during the current year 1,163 1,031 Increase as a result of tax positions taken during prior years 60 16 Decrease as a result of tax positions taken during prior years (892 ) (140 ) Decrease for lapse in statute of limitations (4,123 ) (1,204 ) Decrease relating to settlements with taxing authorities (1,155 ) — Unrecognized tax benefits, end of year $ 11,866 $ 16,813 Included in unrecognized tax benefits of $11.9 million at December 31, 2017 , was $6.7 million of tax benefits that, if recognized, would reduce the Company’s effective tax rate. It is not practicable at this time to estimate the amount of unrecognized tax benefits that will change in the next twelve months. The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in its provision for income taxes. As of December 31, 2017 , the Company had recorded a liability of $7.1 million for interest and penalties. During 2017 , accrued interest and penalty amounts related to uncertain tax positions decreased by $1.1 million . The Company operates in the U.S. (including multiple state jurisdictions), Puerto Rico and several foreign locations including Mexico and the United Kingdom. With few exceptions, the Company is no longer subject to U.S. federal, state or local income tax examinations for years prior to 2011 and is no longer subject to Mexico and U.K. income tax examinations by taxing authorities for years prior to 2011. The Company has a tax sharing agreement with JBS USA Food Company Holdings effective for tax years beginning 2010. The net tax receivable for tax year 2017 of $5.6 million was accrued in 2017 as a capital contribution and an account receivable from a related party in our Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheet.

PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMEN

PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Defined Benefit Plan [Abstract]
PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS	PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS The Company sponsors programs that provide retirement benefits to most of its employees. These programs include qualified defined benefit pension plans, nonqualified defined benefit retirement plans, a defined benefit postretirement life insurance plan, and defined contribution retirement savings plans. Under all of our retirement plans, the Company’s expenses were $10.8 million , $11.2 million and $11.2 million in 2017 , 2016 and 2015 , respectively. The Company used a year-end measurement date of December 31, 2017 for its pension and postretirement benefits plans. Certain disclosures are listed below. Other disclosures are not material to the financial statements. Qualified Defined Benefit Pension Plans The Company sponsors two qualified defined benefit pension plans named the Pilgrim’s Pride Retirement Plan for Union Employees (the “Union Plan”) and the Pilgrim’s Pride Pension Plan for Legacy Gold Kist Employees (the “GK Pension Plan”). The Union Plan covers certain locations or work groups within PPC. The GK Pension Plan covers certain eligible U.S. employees who were employed at locations that the Company purchased through its acquisition of Gold Kist in 2007. Participation in the GK Pension Plan was frozen as of February 8, 2007 for all participants with the exception of terminated vested participants who are or may become permanently and totally disabled. The plan was frozen for that group as of March 31, 2007. Nonqualified Defined Benefit Pension Plans The Company sponsors two nonqualified defined benefit retirement plans named the Former Gold Kist Inc. Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (the “SERP Plan”) and the Former Gold Kist Inc. Directors’ Emeriti Retirement Plan (the “Directors’ Emeriti Plan”). Pilgrim’s Pride assumed sponsorship of the SERP Plan and Directors’ Emeriti Plan through its acquisition of Gold Kist in 2007. The SERP Plan provides benefits on compensation in excess of certain IRC limitations to certain former executives with whom Gold Kist negotiated individual agreements. Benefits under the SERP Plan were frozen as of February 8, 2007. The Directors’ Emeriti Plan provides benefits to former Gold Kist directors. Defined Benefit Postretirement Life Insurance Plan The Company sponsors one defined benefit postretirement life insurance plan named the Gold Kist Inc. Retiree Life Insurance Plan (the “Retiree Life Plan”). Pilgrim’s Pride assumed defined benefit postretirement medical and life insurance obligations, including the Retiree Life Plan, through its acquisition of Gold Kist in 2007. In January 2001, Gold Kist began to substantially curtail its programs for active employees. On July 1, 2003, Gold Kist terminated medical coverage for retirees age 65 or older, and only retired employees in the closed group between ages 55 and 65 could continue their coverage at rates above the average cost of the medical insurance plan for active employees. These retired employees all reached the age of 65 in 2012 and liabilities of the postretirement medical plan then ended. Defined Benefit Plans Obligations and Assets The change in benefit obligation, change in fair value of plan assets, funded status and amounts recognized in the Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheets for these plans were as follows: Pension Benefits Other Benefits 2017 2016 2017 2016 Change in projected benefit obligation: (In thousands) Projected benefit obligation, beginning of year $ 167,159 $ 165,952 $ 1,648 $ 1,672 Interest cost 5,571 5,585 51 51 Actuarial losses (gains) 15,745 10,305 68 46 Benefits paid (10,228 ) (6,098 ) — — Settlements (a) — (8,585 ) (164 ) (121 ) Projected benefit obligation, end of year $ 178,247 $ 167,159 $ 1,603 $ 1,648 (a) A settlement is a transaction that is an irrevocable action, relieves the employer or the plan of primary responsibility for a pension or postretirement obligation and eliminates significant risks related to the obligation and the assets used to affect the settlement. A settlement can be triggered when a plan pays lump sums totaling more than the sum of the plan’s interest cost and service cost. The GK Pension Plan, the Retiree Life Plan, and the Union Pension Plan met this threshold in 2017 and 2016. Pension Benefits Other Benefits 2017 2016 2017 2016 Change in plan assets: (In thousands) Fair value of plan assets, beginning of year $ 97,526 $ 96,947 $ — $ — Actual return on plan assets 12,325 4,460 — — Contributions by employer 12,947 10,802 164 121 Benefits paid (10,228 ) (6,098 ) — — Settlements — (8,585 ) (164 ) (121 ) Fair value of plan assets, end of year $ 112,570 $ 97,526 $ — $ — Pension Benefits Other Benefits 2017 2016 2017 2016 Funded status: (In thousands) Unfunded benefit obligation, end of year $ (65,677 ) $ (69,633 ) $ (1,603 ) $ (1,648 ) Pension Benefits Other Benefits 2017 2016 2017 2016 Amounts recognized in the Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheets at end of year: (In thousands) Current liability $ (12,168 ) $ (13,113 ) $ (149 ) $ (147 ) Long-term liability (53,509 ) (56,520 ) (1,454 ) (1,501 ) Recognized liability $ (65,677 ) $ (69,633 ) $ (1,603 ) $ (1,648 ) Pension Benefits Other Benefits 2017 2016 2017 2016 Amounts recognized in accumulated other comprehensive loss at end of year: (In thousands) Net actuarial loss (gain) $ 54,235 $ 46,494 $ 35 $ (31 ) The accumulated benefit obligation for our defined benefit pension plans was $178.2 million and $167.2 million at December 31, 2017 and December 25, 2016 , respectively. Each of our defined benefit pension plans had accumulated benefit obligations that exceeded the fair value of plan assets at December 31, 2017 and December 25, 2016 . As of December 31, 2017 , the weighted average duration of our defined benefit obligation is 31.02 years. Net Periodic Benefit Cost (Income) Net pension and other postretirement costs included the following components: Pension Benefits Other Benefits 2017 2016 2015 2017 2016 2015 (In thousands) Interest cost $ 5,571 $ 5,585 $ 7,754 $ 51 $ 51 $ 67 Estimated return on plan assets (5,254 ) (5,256 ) (6,684 ) — — — Settlement loss (gain) — 2,064 3,843 2 (2 ) (4 ) Amortization of net loss 932 659 714 — — — Net cost $ 1,249 $ 3,052 $ 5,627 $ 53 $ 49 $ 63 Economic Assumptions The weighted average assumptions used in determining pension and other postretirement plan information were as follows: Pension Benefits Other Benefits 2017 2016 2015 2017 2016 2015 Benefit obligation: Discount rate 3.69 % 4.31 % 4.47 % 3.39 % 3.81 % 4.47 % Net pension and other postretirement cost: Discount rate 4.32 % 4.47 % 4.22 % 3.81 % 4.47 % 4.22 % Expected return on plan assets 5.50 % 5.50 % 5.50 % NA NA NA The discount rate represents the interest rate used to determine the present value of future cash flows currently expected to be required to settle the Company’s pension and other benefit obligations. The weighted average discount rate for each plan was established by comparing the projection of expected benefit payments to the AA Above Median yield curve. The expected benefit payments were discounted by each corresponding discount rate on the yield curve. For payments beyond 30 years, the Company extended the curve assuming the discount rate derived in year 30 is extended to the end of the plan’s payment expectations. Once the present value of the string of benefit payments was established, the Company determined the single rate on the yield curve, that when applied to all obligations of the plan, would exactly match the previously determined present value. As part of the evaluation of pension and other postretirement assumptions, the Company applied assumptions for mortality that incorporate generational white and blue collar mortality trends. In determining its benefit obligations, the Company used generational tables that take into consideration increases in plan participant longevity. All pension and other postretirement benefit plans used variations of the RP-2006 mortality table and the MP-2017 mortality improvement scale as of December 31, 2017 . All pension and postretirement plans used variations of the RP-2006 mortality table and the MP-2016 mortality improvement scale as of December 25, 2016 . The sensitivity of the projected benefit obligation for pension benefits to changes in the discount rate is set out below. The impact of a change in the discount rate of 0.25% on the projected benefit obligation for other benefits is less than $1,000 . This sensitivity analysis is based on changing one assumption while holding all other assumptions constant. In practice, this is unlikely to occur, and changes in some of the assumptions may be correlated. When calculating the sensitivity of the defined benefit obligation to variations in significant actuarial assumptions, the same method (present value of the defined benefit obligation calculated with the projected unit credit method at the end of the reporting period) has been applied as that for calculating the liability recognized in the Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheet. Increase in Discount Rate of 0.25% Decrease in Discount Rate of 0.25% (In thousands) Impact on projected benefit obligation for pension benefits $ (5,087 ) $ 4,828 The expected rate of return on plan assets was primarily based on the determination of an expected return and behaviors for each plan’s current asset portfolio that the Company believes are likely to prevail over long periods. This determination was made using assumptions for return and volatility of the portfolio. Asset class assumptions were set using a combination of empirical and forward-looking analysis. To the extent historical results were affected by unsustainable trends or events, the effects of those trends or events were quantified and removed. The Company also considered anticipated asset allocations, investment strategies and the views of various investment professionals when developing this rate. Plan Assets The following table reflects the pension plans’ actual asset allocations: 2017 2016 Cash and cash equivalents 5 % — % Pooled separate accounts (a) : Equity securities 5 % 5 % Fixed income securities 4 % 5 % Common collective trust funds (a) : Equity securities 56 % 60 % Fixed income securities 30 % 30 % Total assets 100 % 100 % (a) Pooled separate accounts (“PSAs”) and common collective trust funds (“CCTs”) are two of the most common types of alternative vehicles in which benefit plans invest. These investments are pooled funds that look like mutual funds, but they are not registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Often times, they will be invested in mutual funds or other marketable securities, but the unit price generally will be different from the value of the underlying securities because the fund may also hold cash for liquidity purposes, and the fees imposed by the fund are deducted from the fund value rather than charged separately to investors. Some PSAs and CCTs have no restrictions as to their investment strategy and can invest in riskier investments, such as derivatives, hedge funds, private equity funds, or similar investments. Absent regulatory or statutory limitations, the target asset allocation for the investment of pension assets in the pooled separate accounts is 50% in each of fixed income securities and equity securities and the target asset allocation for the investment of pension assets in the common collective trust funds is 30% in fixed income securities and 70% in equity securities. The plans only invest in fixed income and equity instruments for which there is a ready public market. We develop our expected long-term rate of return assumptions based on the historical rates of returns for equity and fixed income securities of the type in which our plans invest. The fair value measurements of plan assets fell into the following levels of the fair value hierarchy as of December 31, 2017 and December 25, 2016 : 2017 2016(a) Level 1 (a) Level 2 (b) Level 3 (c) Total Level 1 (a) Level 2 (b) Level 3 (c) Total (In thousands) Cash and cash equivalents $ 6,128 $ — $ — $ 6,128 $ 119 $ — $ — $ 119 Pooled separate accounts: Large U.S. equity funds (d) — 3,483 — 3,483 — 3,302 — 3,302 Small/Mid U.S. equity funds (e) — 420 — 420 — 406 — 406 International equity funds (f) — 1,665 — 1,665 — 1,231 — 1,231 Fixed income funds (g) — 4,799 — 4,799 — 4,867 — 4,867 Common collective trusts funds: Large U.S. equity funds (d) — 22,695 — 22,695 — 24,547 — 24,547 Small/Mid U.S. equity funds (e) — 20,592 — 20,592 — 17,344 — 17,344 International equity funds (f) — 19,923 — 19,923 — 17,006 — 17,006 Fixed income funds (g) — 32,865 — 32,865 — 28,704 — 28,704 Total assets $ 6,128 $ 106,442 $ — $ 112,570 $ 119 $ 97,407 $ — $ 97,526 (a) Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets are used to determine fair value. (b) Quoted prices in active markets for similar assets and inputs that are observable for the asset are used to determine fair value. (c) Unobservable inputs, such as discounted cash flow models or valuations, are used to determine fair value. (d) This category is comprised of investment options that invest in stocks, or shares of ownership, in large, well-established U.S. companies. These investment options typically carry more risk than fixed income options but have the potential for higher returns over longer time periods. (e) This category is generally comprised of investment options that invest in stocks, or shares of ownership, in small to medium-sized U.S. companies. These investment options typically carry more risk than larger U.S. equity investment options but have the potential for higher returns. (f) This category is comprised of investment options that invest in stocks, or shares of ownership, in companies with their principal place of business or office outside of the U.S. (g) This category is comprised of investment options that invest in bonds, or debt of a company or government entity (including U.S. and non-U.S. entities). It may also include real estate investment options that directly own property. These investment options typically carry more risk than short-term fixed income investment options (including, for real estate investment options, liquidity risk), but less overall risk than equities. The valuation of plan assets in Level 2 is determined using a market approach based upon quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, or other inputs that are observable for substantially the full term of the financial instrument. Level 2 securities primarily include equity and fixed income securities funds. Benefit Payments The following table reflects the benefits as of December 31, 2017 expected to be paid in each of the next five years and in the aggregate for the five years thereafter from our pension and other postretirement plans. Because our pension plans are primarily funded plans, the anticipated benefits with respect to these plans will come primarily from the trusts established for these plans. Because our other postretirement plans are unfunded, the anticipated benefits with respect to these plans will come from our own assets. Pension Benefits Other Benefits (In thousands) 2018 $ 18,368 $ 148 2019 11,889 148 2020 11,687 146 2021 11,337 143 2022 11,160 139 2023-2027 50,628 611 Total $ 115,069 $ 1,335 We anticipate contributing $12.2 million and $0.1 million , as required by funding regulations or laws, to our pension and other postretirement plans, respectively, during 2018 . Unrecognized Benefit Amounts in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss (Income) The amounts in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) that were not recognized as components of net periodic benefits cost and the changes in those amounts are as follows: Pension Benefits Other Benefits 2017 2016 2015 2017 2016 2015 (In thousands) Net actuarial loss (gain), beginning of year $ 46,494 $ 38,115 $ 43,907 $ (31 ) $ (79 ) $ (127 ) Amortization (932 ) (659 ) (714 ) — — — Settlement adjustments — (2,064 ) (3,843 ) (2 ) 2 4 Actuarial loss (gain) 15,745 10,305 (10,944 ) 68 46 44 Asset loss (gain) (7,072 ) 797 9,709 — — — Net actuarial loss (gain), end of year $ 54,235 $ 46,494 $ 38,115 $ 35 $ (31 ) $ (79 ) The Company expects to recognize in net pension cost throughout 2018 an actuarial loss of $1.2 million that was recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income at December 31, 2017 . Risk Management Through its defined benefit plans, the Company is exposed to a number of risks, the most significant of which are detailed below: Asset volatility. The plan liabilities are calculated using a discount rate set with reference to corporate bond yields; if plan assets under perform this yield, this will create a deficit. The pension plans hold a significant proportion of equities, which are expected to outperform corporate bonds in the long-term while contributing volatility and risk in the short-term. The Company monitors the level of investment risk but has no current plan to significantly modify the mixture of investments. The investment position is discussed more below. Changes in bond yields. A decrease in corporate bond yields will increase plan liabilities, although this will be partially offset by an increase in the value of the plans’ bond holdings. The investment position is managed and monitored by a committee of individuals from various departments. This group actively monitors how the duration and the expected yield of the investments are matching the expected cash outflows arising from the pension obligations. The group has not changed the processes used to manage its risks from previous periods. The group does not use derivatives to manage its risk. Investments are well diversified, such that the failure of any single investment would not have a material impact on the overall level of assets. The majority of equities are in U.S. large and small cap companies with some global diversification into international entities. The plans are not exposed to significant foreign currency risk. Remeasurement The Company remeasures both plan assets and obligations on a quarterly basis. Defined Contribution Plans The Company sponsors two defined contribution retirement savings plans in the U.S. segment named the Pilgrim’s Pride Retirement Savings Plan (the “RS Plan”) and the To-Ricos Employee Savings, Retirement Plan (the “To-Ricos Plan”). The RS Plan is an IRC Section 401(k) salary deferral plan maintained for certain eligible U.S. employees. Under the RS Plan, eligible U.S. employees may voluntarily contribute a percentage of their compensation. The Company matches up to 30.0% of the first 2.00% to 6.00% of salary based on the salary deferral and compensation levels up to $245,000 . The To-Ricos Plan is an IRC Section 1165(e) salary deferral plan maintained for certain eligible Puerto Rico employees. Under the To-Ricos Plan, eligible employees may voluntarily contribute a percentage of their compensation and there are various company matching provisions. The Company maintains three postretirement plans for eligible Mexico employees, as required by Mexico law, which primarily cover termination benefits. The Company maintains two defined contribution retirement savings plans in the U.K. and Europe for eligible U.K. and Europe employees, as required by U.K. and European law. Salaried employees can contribute up to 3.0% of salary and the Company matches between 4.0% and 5.5% . Weekly employees can contribute up to 1.0% of wages with a 1.0% Company match. The Company’s expenses related to its defined contribution plans totaled $9.5 million , $8.1 million and $5.5 million in 2017 , 2016 and 2015 , respectively.

STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Equity [Abstract]
STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY	STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss The following tables provide information regarding the changes in accumulated other comprehensive loss during 2017 and 2016 : 2017 (a) Losses Related to Foreign Currency Translation Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Derivative Financial Instruments Classified as Cash Flow Hedges Losses Related to Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Unrealized Holding Gains on Available-for-Sale Securities Total (In thousands) Balance, beginning of year $ (265,714 ) $ 99 $ (64,243 ) $ — $ (329,858 ) Granite Holdings Sàrl common-control transaction 204,577 (1,368 ) — — 203,209 Other comprehensive income (loss) 103,218 60 (7,770 ) 82 95,590 Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss to net income — (639 ) 579 (21 ) (81 ) Net current year other comprehensive income (loss) 103,218 (579 ) (7,191 ) 61 95,509 Balance, end of year $ 42,081 $ (1,848 ) $ (71,434 ) $ 61 $ (31,140 ) 2016(a) Losses Related to Foreign Currency Translation Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Derivative Financial Instruments Classified as Cash Flow Hedges Losses Related to Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Unrealized Holding Gains on Available-for-Sale Securities Total (In thousands) Balance, beginning of year $ (32,482 ) $ (61 ) $ (58,997 ) $ 67 $ (91,473 ) Other comprehensive income (loss) (233,232 ) (151 ) (5,657 ) 277 (238,763 ) Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss to net income — 311 411 (344 ) 378 Net current year other comprehensive income (loss) (233,232 ) 160 (5,246 ) (67 ) (238,385 ) Balance, end of year $ (265,714 ) $ 99 $ (64,243 ) $ — $ (329,858 ) (a) All amounts are net of tax. Amounts in parentheses indicate debits. Details about Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss Components Amount Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss(a) Affected Line Item in the Consolidated and Combined Statements of Operations 2017 2016 (In thousands) Realized gain (loss) on settlement of derivative financial instruments classified as cash flow hedges $ 639 $ (311 ) Cost of sales Realized gain on sale of securities 34 552 Interest income Amortization of pension and other Union employees pension plan (b) (24 ) (20 ) (d) Cost of goods sold Legacy Gold Kist plans (c) (283 ) (199 ) (d) Cost of goods sold Legacy Gold Kist plans (c) (625 ) (440 ) (d) Selling, general and administrative expense Total before tax (259 ) (418 ) Tax benefit 340 40 Total reclassification for the period $ 81 (378 ) (a) Amounts in parentheses represent debits to results of operations. (b) The Company sponsors the Union Plan, a qualified defined benefit pension plan covering certain locations or work groups with collective bargaining agreements. (c) The Company sponsors the GK Pension Plan, a qualified defined benefit pension plan covering certain eligible U.S. employees who were employed at locations that the Company purchased through its acquisition of Gold Kist in 2007, the SERP Plan, a nonqualified defined benefit retirement plan covering certain former Gold Kist executives, the Directors’ Emeriti Plan, a nonqualified defined benefit retirement plan covering certain former Gold Kist directors and the Retiree Life Plan, a defined benefit postretirement life insurance plan covering certain retired Gold Kist employees (collectively, the “Legacy Gold Kist Plans”). (d) These accumulated other comprehensive loss components are included in the computation of net periodic pension cost. See “Note 13. Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits” to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements. Share Repurchase Program and Treasury Stock On July 28, 2015, the Company's Board of Directors approved a $150.0 million share repurchase authorization. The Company plans to repurchase shares through various means, which may include but are not limited to open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions, the use of derivative instruments and/or accelerated share repurchase programs. The share repurchase program was originally scheduled to expire on July 27, 2016. On February 10, 2016, the Company’s Board of Directors approved an increase of the share repurchase authorization to $300.0 million and an extension of the expiration to February 9, 2017. The extent to which the Company repurchases its shares and the timing of such repurchases will vary and depend upon market conditions and other corporate considerations, as determined by the Company’s management team. The Company reserves the right to limit or terminate the repurchase program at any time without notice. As of December 31, 2017, the Company had repurchased 11.4 million shares under this program with a market value of approximately $231.8 million . The Company accounted for the shares repurchased using the cost method. The Company currently plans to maintain these shares as treasury stock. Special Cash Dividends On May 18, 2016 , the Company paid a special cash dividend from retained earnings of approximately $700.0 million , or $2.75 per share, to stockholders of record on May 10, 2016 . The Company used proceeds from the U.S. Credit Facility, along with cash on hand, to fund the special cash dividend. On February 17, 2015 , the Company paid a special cash dividend from retained earnings of approximately $1.5 billion , or $5.77 per share, to stockholders of record as of January 30, 2015 . The Company used proceeds from the U.S. Credit Facility, along with cash on hand, to fund the special cash dividend. Capital Contributions to a Subsidiary In July 2016, the stockholders of Gallina Pesada, S.A.P.I. de C.V. (“GAPESA”), a subsidiary that is controlled, but not wholly owned, by the Company, contributed additional capital to fund a capacity expansion project in southern Mexico. The Company contributed $2.7 million of additional capital. This contribution was eliminated upon consolidation. The noncontrolling stockholders contributed $7.3 million of additional capital. The respective contributions did not impact either the Company or noncontrolling stockholders’ ownership percentages in GAPESA. Restrictions on Dividends Both the U.S. Credit Facility and the indentures governing the Company’s senior notes restrict, but do not prohibit, the Company from declaring dividends. The Moy Park Notes restrict, but do not prohibit, Moy Park from declaring dividends or making any distributions related to securities issues by Moy Park.

INCENTIVE COMPENSATION

INCENTIVE COMPENSATION	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]
INCENTIVE COMPENSATION	INCENTIVE COMPENSATION The Company sponsors a short-term incentive plan that provides the grant of either cash or share-based bonus awards payable upon achievement of specified performance goals (the “STIP”). Full-time, salaried exempt employees of the Company and its affiliates who are selected by the administering committee are eligible to participate in the STIP. The Company has accrued $44.8 million in costs related to the STIP at December 31, 2017 related to cash bonus awards that could potentially be awarded during 2018 . The Company assumed responsibility for the JFC LLC Long-Term Equity Incentive Plan dated January 1, 2014, as amended (the “JFC LTIP”) through its acquisition of GNP on January 6, 2017. The Company has accrued $3.3 million in costs related to the JFC LTIP at December 31, 2017. The Company assumed responsibility for the Moy Park Incentive Plan dated January 1, 2013, as amended (the “MPIP”) through its acquisition of Moy Park on September 8, 2017. The Company has accrued $0.6 million in costs related to the MPIP at December 31, 2017. The Company also sponsors a performance-based, omnibus long-term incentive plan that provides for the grant of a broad range of long-term equity-based and cash-based awards to the Company’s officers and other employees, members of the Board and any consultants (the “LTIP”). The equity-based awards that may be granted under the LTIP include “incentive stock options,” within the meaning of the IRC, nonqualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock awards (“RSAs”) and restricted stock units (“RSUs”). At December 31, 2017 , we have reserved approximately 4.8 million shares of common stock for future issuance under the LTIP. The following awards were outstanding during 2017 : Award Type Benefit Plan Awards Granted Grant Date Grant Date Fair Value per Award (a) Vesting Condition Vesting Date Vesting Date Fair Value per Award (a) Estimated Forfeiture Rate Awards Forfeited to Date Settlement Method RSU LTIP 449,217 02/19/2014 $ 16.70 Service 12/31/2016 $ 18.99 13.49 % 86,458 Stock RSU LTIP 223,701 03/03/2014 17.18 Performance / Service 12/31/2017 31.06 12.34 % 53,363 Stock RSU (b) LTIP 45,961 02/11/2015 25.87 Service 12/31/2017 31.06 12.34 % 10,965 Stock RSU LTIP 251,136 03/30/2016 25.36 Performance / Service 12/31/2019 — % 251,136 (d) Stock RSU (b) LTIP 74,535 10/13/2016 20.93 Service 12/31/2016 18.99 13.49 % — Stock RSU LTIP 389,424 01/19/2017 18.38 Performance / Service (e) — % — Stock RSU (c) LTIP 48,586 02/13/2017 20.52 Service 12/31/2016 18.99 — % — Stock RSU (c) LTIP 23,469 02/13/2017 20.52 Service 12/31/2017 31.06 — % 652 Stock (a) The fair value of each RSU granted or vested represents the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the respective grant date or vesting date. (b) On February 17, 2015, the Company paid a special cash dividend to stockholders of record as of January 30, 2015 totaling $5.77 per share. On January 27, 2015, the Compensation Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors agreed to grant Dividend Equivalent Rights (“DERs”) in the form of RSUs to reflect an additional $5.77 in value for each outstanding RSU. (c) On May 18, 2016, the Company paid a special cash dividend to stockholders of record as of May 10, 2015 totaling $2.75 per share. On October 27, 2016, the Compensation Committee of the Company's Board of Directors agreed to grant additional RSUs to LTIP participants that were equal to the amount of the dividend that would be awarded to them had their RSUs existing as of the dividend record date been vested. The additional RSUs that were granted to the LTIP participants are subject to the same vesting requirements as the underlying RSUs granted under the LTIP. (d) Performance conditions associated with these awards were not satisfied. Therefore, 100% of the awards were forfeited. (e) The subject RSUs will vest in ratable tranches on December 31, 2018, December 31, 2019, and December 31, 2020. Compensation costs and the income tax benefit recognized for our share-based compensation arrangements are included below: 2017 2016 2015 (In thousands) Share-based compensation cost: Cost of goods sold $ 256 $ 770 $ 596 Selling, general and administrative expenses 2,763 5,332 2,379 Total $ 3,019 $ 6,102 $ 2,975 Income tax benefit $ 1,006 $ 1,858 $ 868 The Company’s RSA and RSU activity is included below: 2017 2016 2015 Number Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value Number Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value Number Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value (In thousands, except weighted average fair values) RSAs: Outstanding at beginning of year — $ — — $ — 30 $ 8.72 Granted — — — — — — Vested — — — — — — Forfeited — — — — (30 ) 8.72 Outstanding at end of year — $ — — $ — — $ — RSUs: Outstanding at beginning of year 906 $ 20.00 774 $ 18.78 1,120 $ 11.97 Granted 461 18.72 325 24.35 428 21.00 Vested (714 ) 18.09 — — (671 ) 8.81 Forfeited (264 ) 25.33 (193 ) 24.51 (103 ) 18.90 Outstanding at end of year 389 $ 18.39 906 $ 20.00 774 $ 18.78 The total fair value of awards vested in 2017 and 2015 was $16.3 million and $22.4 million , respectively. No awards vested in 2016 . At December 31, 2017 , the total unrecognized compensation cost related to all nonvested awards was $7.2 million . That cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 2.13 years. Historically, we have issued new shares to satisfy award conversions.

RESTRUCTURING-RELATED ACTIVITIE

RESTRUCTURING-RELATED ACTIVITIES	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract]
RESTRUCTURING-RELATED ACTIVITIES	RESTRUCTURING-RELATED ACTIVITIES During 2017, the Company initiated a restructuring initiative to capitalize on cost-saving opportunities within its GNP operations. Implementation of the initiative is expected to result in total pre-tax charges of approximately $6.8 million , and approximately $5.4 million of these charges are estimated to result in cash outlays. These activities initiated in the first quarter of 2017 and are expected to be substantially completed by the second quarter of 2020. The following table provides a summary of our estimates of costs associated with this restructuring initiative by major type of cost: Type of Cost Total Estimated Amount Expected to be Incurred (In thousands) Employee termination benefits $ 4,074 Inventory impairments 699 Other (1) 1,983 $ 6,756 (1) Comprised of other costs directly related to the restructuring initiative, including prepaid software impairment, St. Cloud, Minnesota office lease costs, and Luverne, Minnesota plant closure costs. During 2017, the Company recognized the following costs and incurred the following cash outlays related to this restructuring initiative: Expenses Cash Outlays (In thousands) Employee termination benefits $ 3,381 $ 2,581 Inventory impairments 699 — Other 752 — $ 4,832 $ 2,581 These charges are reported in the line item Administrative restructuring charges on the Consolidated and Combined Statements of Income and are recognized in the U.S. segment. The following table is a rollforward of our liabilities and reserves associated with this restructuring initiative. Ending liability balances for employee termination benefits and other charges are reported in the line item Accrued expenses and other current liabilities in our Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheets. The ending reserve balance for inventory impairments is reported in the line item Inventories in our Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheets. Employee Termination Benefits Inventory Other Total (In thousands) Restructuring charges $ 3,381 $ 699 $ 752 $ 4,832 Payments (2,581 ) — — (2,581 ) Ending liability or reserve $ 800 $ 699 $ 752 $ 2,251 During 2017, the Company also reported impairment costs of $3.5 million and $1.5 million related to its Athens, Alabama and Dublin, Ireland plants, respectively, in the line item Administrative restructuring charges on the Consolidated Statements of Income. The impairment cost related the Athens, Alabama plant was recognized in the U.S. segment, while the impairment cost related to the Dublin, Ireland plant was recognized in the U.K. and Europe segment.

PUERTO RICO HURRICANE IMPACT

PUERTO RICO HURRICANE IMPACT	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Unusual or Infrequent Items, or Both [Abstract]
PUERTO RICO HURRICANE IMPACT	PUERTO RICO HURRICANE IMPACT Hurricane Maria became the strongest storm to make landfall in Puerto Rico in 85 years when it came ashore on September 20, 2017. The hurricane knocked out power to the entire island. Trees were uprooted, homes and other buildings were destroyed, and there was also widespread flooding. The Company suffered significant damage because of the storm. Pilgrim’s lost 2.1 million birds on the island, many of the Company’s contract growers lost their poultry houses, and the Company incurred damage at its processing plant, feed mill and hatchery. PPC does not expect that its operations on the island will be fully functional until the third quarter of 2018. Estimated damages incurred by the Company through December 31, 2017 included property and casualty losses totaling $5.2 million and a business interruption claim totaling $8.4 million . Pilgrim’s expects to receive insurance proceeds related to these damages in the amount of $5.5 million and has recorded a receivable from its insurance provider for that amount. The amount of insurance recovery related to both the property and casualty losses and the business interruption claim are included in Cost of sales in the Consolidated and Combined Statements of Income and are recognized in the U.S. segment.

RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS	RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS Pilgrim's has been and, in some cases, continues to be a party to certain transactions with affiliated companies. 2017 2016 2015 (In thousands) Sales to related parties: JBS USA Food Company (c) $ 15,289 $ 16,534 $ 21,743 JBS Five Rivers 31,004 14,126 — JBS Global (UK) Ltd. 44 122 305 JBS Chile Ltda. 178 615 100 J&F Investimentos Ltd. 104 69 — JBS S.A. — — — Seara International Ltd. 104 4 — JBS Toledo — 143 — Rigamonti Salumificio S.P.A. — 3 — Total sales to related parties $ 46,723 $ 31,616 $ 22,148 Cost of goods purchased from related parties: JBS USA Food Company (c) $ 101,685 $ 139,476 $ 103,542 Seara Meats B.V. 13,949 21,038 3,381 JBS S.A. — — — Seara International Ltd. 11,236 2,746 2,784 JBS Toledo 231 123 — Macedo Agroindustrial Ltda. — — 60 Rigamonti Salumificio S.P.A. — 15 — Total cost of goods purchased from related parties $ 127,101 $ 163,398 $ 109,767 Expenditures paid by related parties: JBS USA Food Company (d) $ 40,313 $ 40,519 $ 40,611 JBS S.A. 3,777 8,125 — Seara Alimentos 64 — — Total expenditures paid by related parties $ 44,154 $ 48,644 $ 40,611 Expenditures paid on behalf of related parties: JBS USA Food Company (d) $ 5,376 $ 10,586 $ 3,998 JBS Toledo — — — JBS S.A. 5 86 29 Seara International Ltd. — 72 29 Seara Meats B.V. 12 — — Rigamonti Salumificio S.P.A. — 3 — Total expenditures paid on behalf of related parties $ 5,393 $ 10,747 $ 4,056 Other related party transactions: Letter of credit fees (a) $ — $ 202 $ 1,268 Capital contribution under tax sharing agreement (b) 5,558 5,038 3,690 Total other related party transactions $ 5,558 $ 5,240 $ 4,958 2017 2016 (In thousands) Accounts receivable from related parties: JBS USA Food Company (c) $ 2,826 $ 3,754 JBS Chile Ltda. 108 159 JBS S.A. — 46 Seara International Ltd. 15 51 Seara Meats B.V. 2 — Total accounts receivable from related parties $ 2,951 $ 4,010 Accounts payable to related parties: JBS USA Food Company (c) $ 440 $ 1,421 Seara Meats B.V. 2,410 3,026 JBS Toledo 39 21 Total accounts payable to related parties $ 2,889 $ 4,468 (a) JBS USA Food Company Holdings (“JBS USA Holdings”) arranged for letters of credit to be issued on its account in the aggregate amount of $56.5 million to an insurance company on our behalf in order to allow that insurance company to return cash it held as collateral against potential workers’ compensation, auto liability and general liability claims. In return for providing this letter of credit, the Company has agreed to reimburse JBS USA Holdings for the letter of credit fees the Company would otherwise incur under its U.S. Credit Facility. The letter of credit arrangements for $40.0 million and $16.5 million were terminated on March 7, 2016 and April 1, 2016, respectively. During 2016, the Company paid JBS USA Holdings $0.2 million for letter of credit fees. (b) The Company entered into a tax sharing agreement during 2014 with JBS USA Holdings effective for tax years starting 2010. The net tax receivable for tax year 2017 was accrued in 2017 and will be paid in 2018. The net tax receivable for tax year 2016 was accrued in 2016 and paid in January 2017. The net tax receivable for tax year 2015 was accrued in 2015 and paid in January 2016. The net tax receivable for tax years 2010 through 2014 was accrued in 2014 and paid in January 2015. (c) We routinely execute transactions to both purchase products from JBS USA Food Company (“JBS USA”) and sell products to them. As of December 31, 2017 and December 25, 2016, the outstanding payable to JBS USA was $0.4 million and $1.4 million , respectively. As of December 31, 2017 and December 25, 2016, the outstanding receivable from JBS USA was $2.8 million and $3.8 million , respectively. As of December 31, 2017 , approximately $1.7 million of goods from JBS USA were in transit and not reflected on our Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheet. (d) The Company has an agreement with JBS USA to allocate costs associated with JBS USA’s procurement of SAP licenses and maintenance services for both companies. Under this agreement, the fees associated with procuring SAP licenses and maintenance services are allocated between the Company and JBS USA in proportion to the percentage of licenses used by each company. The agreement expires on the date of expiration, or earlier termination, of the underlying SAP license agreement. The Company also has an agreement with JBS USA to allocate the costs of supporting the business operations by one consolidated corporate team, which have historically been supported by their respective corporate teams. Expenditures paid by JBS USA on behalf of the Company will be reimbursed by the Company and expenditures paid by the Company on behalf of JBS USA will be reimbursed by JBS USA. This agreement expires on December 31, 2019.

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES	COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES General We are a party to many routine contracts in which we provide general indemnities in the normal course of business to third parties for various risks. Among other considerations, we have not recorded a liability for any of these indemnities as based upon the likelihood of payment, the fair value of such indemnities would not have a material impact on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Purchase Obligations The Company will sometimes enter into noncancelable contracts to purchase capital equipment and certain commodities such as corn, soybean meal, and electricity. At December 31, 2017 , the Company was party to outstanding purchase contracts totaling $346.7 million and less than $0.1 million payable in 2018 and 2019 , respectively. There were no outstanding purchase contracts in 2019. Operating Leases The Consolidated and Combined Statements of Income include rental expense for operating leases of approximately $59.0 million , $56.9 million and $32.1 million in 2017 , 2016 and 2015 , respectively. The Company’s future minimum lease commitments under noncancelable operating leases are as follows (in thousands): 2018 $ 54,961 2019 47,007 2020 37,043 2021 31,219 2022 26,332 Thereafter 38,206 Total $ 234,768 Certain of the Company’s operating leases include rent escalations. The Company includes the rent escalation in its minimum lease payments obligations and recognizes them as a component of rental expense on a straight-line basis over the minimum lease term. The Company also maintains operating leases for various types of equipment, some of which contain residual value guarantees for the market value of assets at the end of the term of the lease. The terms of the lease maturities range from one to ten years. The maximum potential amount of the residual value guarantees is estimated to be approximately $48.5 million ; however, the actual amount would be offset by any recoverable amount based on the fair market value of the underlying leased assets. No liability has been recorded related to this contingency as the likelihood of payments under these guarantees is not considered to be probable and the fair value of such guarantees is immaterial. The Company historically has not experienced significant payments under similar residual guarantees. Financial Instruments The Company’s loan agreements generally obligate the Company to reimburse the applicable lender for incremental increased costs due to a change in law that imposes (i) any reserve or special deposit requirement against assets of, deposits with or credit extended by such lender related to the loan, (ii) any tax, duty or other charge with respect to the loan (except standard income tax) or (iii) capital adequacy requirements. In addition, some of the Company’s loan agreements contain a withholding tax provision that requires the Company to pay additional amounts to the applicable lender or other financing party, generally if withholding taxes are imposed on such lender or other financing party as a result of a change in the applicable tax law. These increased cost and withholding tax provisions continue for the entire term of the applicable transaction, and there is no limitation on the maximum additional amounts the Company could be obligated to pay under such provisions. Any failure to pay amounts due under such provisions generally would trigger an event of default, and, in a secured financing transaction, would entitle the lender to foreclose upon the collateral to realize the amount due. Litigation We are a party to many routine contracts in which we provide general indemnities in the normal course of business to third parties for various risks. Among other considerations, we have not recorded a liability for any of these indemnities as based upon the likelihood of payment, the fair value of such indemnities would not have a material impact on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. The Company is subject to various legal proceedings and claims which arise in the ordinary course of business. In the Company’s opinion, it has made appropriate and adequate accruals for claims where necessary; however, the ultimate liability for these matters is uncertain, and if significantly different than the amounts accrued, the ultimate outcome could have a material effect on the financial condition or results of operations of the Company. For a discussion of the material legal proceedings and claims, see Part II, Item 1. “Legal Proceedings.” Below is a summary of some of these material proceedings and claims. The Company believes it has substantial defenses to the claims made and intends to vigorously defend these cases. Tax Claims and Proceedings In 2009, the IRS asserted claims against Pilgrim’s Pride in the Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth Division, or the Bankruptcy Court, totaling $74.7 million . Following a series of objections and motions of opposition filed by both parties with the Bankruptcy Court, the Company worked with the IRS through the normal processes and procedures that are available to resolve the IRS’ claims. On December 12, 2012, the Company entered into two Stipulation of Settled Issues agreements with the IRS, or the Stipulations. The first Stipulation related to the Company’s 2003, 2005, and 2007 tax years and resolved all of the material issues in the case. The second Stipulation related to the Company as the successor in interest to Gold Kist Inc., or Gold Kist, for the tax years ended June 30, 2005 and September 30, 2005, and resolved all substantive issues in the case. These Stipulations accounted for approximately $29.3 million of the claims and should result in no additional tax due. the Company is currently working with the IRS to finalize the complete tax calculations associated with the Stipulations. A Mexico subsidiary of the Company is currently appealing an unfavorable tax adjustment proposed by Mexican Tax Authorities due to an examination of a specific transaction undertaken by the Mexico subsidiary during tax years 2009 and 2010. At the time of the transaction the Company obtained a “should” level opinion from outside legal counsel representing no additional tax due as a result of the transaction. However, in February 2018, the Company received a new assessment from external legal counsel indicating an unfavorable outcome to the Company as reasonably possible. Amounts under appeal are $24.3 million and $16.1 million for tax years 2009 and 2010, respectively. No loss has been recorded for these amounts at this time. Other Claims and Proceedings Between September 2, 2016 and October 13, 2016, a series of purported class action lawsuits styled as In re Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation , Case No. 1:16-cv-08637 were filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against the Company and 13 other producers by and on behalf of direct and indirect purchasers of broiler chickens alleging violations of federal and state antitrust and unfair competition laws. The complaints seek, among other relief, treble damages for an alleged conspiracy among defendants to reduce output and increase prices of broiler chickens from the period of January 2008 to the present. The plaintiffs have filed three consolidated amended complaints: one on behalf of direct purchasers and two on behalf of distinct groups of indirect purchasers. The defendants, including the Company, filed motions to dismiss these actions. On November 20, 2017, the court denied all pending motions to dismiss with the exception of certain state-law claims by indirect purchasers that were dismissed or narrowed in scope. Discovery is proceeding and is currently scheduled to be complete by June 13, 2019. In December 2017 and January 2018 four individual complaints ( Affiliated Foods, Inc. v. Claxton Poultry Farms, Inc. , Case No. 1:17-cv-08850; Winn Dixie Stores, Inc. v. Koch Foods, Inc. , Case No. 1:18-cv-00245; Sysco Corp. v. Tyson Foods Inc., et al; Case No. 1:18-cv-00700; and U.S. Foods Inc. v. Tyson Foods Inc., et al; Case No. 1:18-cv-00702) were filed, mirroring the class action complaints. The class complaints were answered in January 2018. A schedule for answers to the individual complaints will be set and the court has indicated it intends to coordinate scheduling for the individual complaints with the class complaints to the greatest extent possible. On October 10, 2016, Patrick Hogan, acting on behalf of himself and a putative class of persons who purchased shares of the Company’s stock between February 21, 2014 and October 6, 2016, filed a class action complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado against the Company and its named executive officers. The complaint alleges, among other things, that the Company’s SEC filings contained statements that were rendered materially false and misleading by the Company’s failure to disclose that (i) the Company colluded with several of its industry peers to fix prices in the broiler-chicken market as alleged in the In re Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation , (ii) its conduct constituted a violation of federal antitrust laws, (iii) the Company’s revenues during the class period were the result of illegal conduct and (iv) that the Company lacked effective internal control over financial reporting, as well as stating that the Company’s industry was anticompetitive. On April 4, 2017, the court appointed another stockholder, George James Fuller, as lead plaintiff. On April 26, 2017, the court set a briefing schedule for the filing of an amended complaint and the defendants’ motion to dismiss. On May 11, 2017, the plaintiff filed an amended complaint, which extended the end date of the putative class period to November 17, 2016. Defendants moved to dismiss on June 12, 2017, and the plaintiff filed its opposition on July 12, 2017. Defendants filed their reply on August 1, 2017. As of the date of this offering memorandum, the Colorado Court’s decision on the motion is pending. On January 27, 2017, a purported class action on behalf of broiler chicken farmers was brought against the Company and four other producers in the Eastern District of Oklahoma alleging, among other things, a conspiracy to reduce competition for grower services and depress the price paid to growers. Plaintiffs allege violations of the Sherman Act and Packers and Stockyards Act and seek, among other relief, treble damages. The complaint was consolidated with a subsequently filed consolidated amended class action complaint styled as In re Broiler Chicken Grower Litigation , Case No. CIV-17-033-RJS. The defendants, including the Company, jointly moved to dismiss the consolidated amended complaint on September 9, 2017. During oral argument on January 19, 2018, the court considered and granted other defendants’ motions challenging jurisdiction and, as a result, granted the plaintiffs time to determine whether they will proceed forward with the case or dismiss the lawsuit. The plaintiffs have until Friday, February 2, 2018 to inform the district court of their plan course of action, and oral argument on remaining motions will be scheduled as necessary. In addition, on August 29, 2017, the Company filed a Motion to Enforce Confirmation Order Against Growers in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Eastern district of Texas, seeking an order enjoining the In re Broiler Chicken Grower Litigation plaintiffs from pursuing the class action against the Company. A hearing on this motion was held in October 2017 and a second is scheduled for February 13, 2018. As of the date of this offering memorandum, a court decision on this motion is pending. On March 9, 2017, a stockholder derivative action styled as DiSalvio v. Lovette , et al., No. 2017 cv. 30207, was brought against all of the Company’s directors and its Chief Financial Officer, Fabio Sandri, in the District Court for the County of Weld in Colorado. The complaint alleges, among other things, that the named defendants breached their fiduciary duties by failing to prevent the Company and its officers from engaging in an antitrust conspiracy as alleged in the In re Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation, and issuing false and misleading statements as alleged in the Hogan class action litigation. On April 17, 2017, a related stockholder derivative action styled Brima v. Lovette , et al., No. 2017 cv. 30308, was brought against all of the Company’s directors and its Chief Financial Officer in the District Court for the County of Weld in Colorado. The Brima complaint contains largely the same allegations as the DiSalvio complaint. On May 4, 2017, the plaintiffs in both the DiSalvio and Brima actions moved to (i) consolidate the two stockholder derivative cases, (ii) stay the consolidated action until the resolution of the motion to dismiss in the Hogan putative securities class action, and (iii) appoint co-lead counsel. The court granted the motion on May 8, 2017, staying the proceedings pending resolution of the motion to dismiss in the Hogan action. On January 10, 2018 a shareholder derivative action was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado against the the Company, as nominal defendant, as well as the Company’s directors, its Chief Financial Officer, and majority shareholder JBS S.A. in Raul v. Nogueira de Souza, et al. , Civil Action No. 18-cv-00069. The complaint alleges, among other things, that (i) defendants permitted the Company to omit material information from its proxy statements filed in 2014 through 2017 related to the conduct of former directors Wesley Mendonça Batista and Joesley Mendonça Batista and (ii) the individual defendants and JBS breached their fiduciary duties by failing to prevent the Company and its officers from engaging in an antitrust conspiracy as alleged in the Broiler Litigation and issuing false and misleading statements as alleged in the Hogan class action litigation. The defendants are currently in discussions with counsel for the Raul plaintiffs regarding the possibility of consolidating the Raul action with the consolidated state court derivative action, which is currently stayed, or in the alternative, determining a motion to dismiss briefing schedule. On January 25, 2018 a stockholder derivative action styled as Sciabacucchi v. JBS S.A.et al. , was brought against all of the Company’s directors, JBS S.A., JBS USA Holding and several members of the Batista family, in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware. The complaint alleges, among other things, that the named defendants breached their fiduciary duties in connection with the Moy Park Acquisition. The Company believes it has strong defenses in each of the above litigations and intends to contest them vigorously. The Company cannot predict the outcome of these actions nor when they will be resolved. If the plaintiffs were to prevail in any of these litigations, the Company could be liable for damages, which could be material and could adversely affect its financial condition or results of operations. J&F Investigation On May 3, 2017, certain officers of J&F Investimentos S.A. (“J&F,” and the companies controlled by J&F, the “J&F Group”) (including two former directors of the Company) , a company organized in Brazil and an indirect controlling stockholder of the Company, entered into plea bargain agreements (the "Plea Bargain Agreements") with the Brazilian Federal Prosecutor's Office ( Ministério Público Federal ) ("MPF") in connection with certain illicit conduct involving improper payments made to Brazilian politicians, government officials and other individuals in Brazil committed by or on behalf of J&F and certain J&F Group companies. The details of such illicit conduct are set forth in separate annexes to the Plea Bargain Agreements, and include admissions of improper payments to politicians and political parties in Brazil over the last 10 years in exchange for receiving, or attempting to receive, favorable treatment for certain J&F Group companies in Brazil. Pursuant to the terms of the Plea Bargain Agreements, the MPF agreed to grant immunity to the officers in exchange for such officers agreeing, among other considerations, to: (1) pay fines totaling R $225.0 million ; (2) cooperate with the MPF, including providing supporting evidence of the illicit conduct identified in the annexes to the Plea Bargain Agreements; and (3) present any previously undisclosed illicit conduct within 120 days following the execution of the Plea Bargain Agreements as long as the description of such conduct had not been omitted in bad faith. In addition, the Plea Bargain Agreements provide that the MPF may terminate any Plea Bargain Agreement and request that the Supreme Court of Brazil ( Supremo Tribunal Federal ) ("STF") ratify such termination if any illicit conduct is identified that was not included in the annexes to the Plea Bargain Agreements. On June 5, 2017, J&F, in its role as the controlling shareholder of the J&F Group, entered into a leniency agreement (the "Leniency Agreement") with the MPF, whereby J&F assumed responsibility for the conduct that was described in the annexes to the Plea Bargain Agreements. In connection with the Leniency Agreement, J&F has agreed to pay a fine of R$10.3 billion , adjusted for inflation, over a 25 - year period. In exchange, the MPF agreed not to initiate or propose any criminal, civil or administrative actions against J&F, the companies of the J&F Group or those officers of J&F with respect to such conduct. Pursuant to the terms of the Leniency Agreement, if the Plea Bargain Agreement is annulled by the STF, then the Leniency Agreement may also be terminated by the Fifth Chamber of Coordination and Reviews of the MPF or, solely with respect to the criminal related provisions of the Leniency Agreement, by the 10th Federal Court of the Federal District in Brasilia, the authorities responsible for the ratification of the Leniency Agreement. On August 24, 2017, the Fifth Chamber ratified the Leniency Agreement. On September 8, 2017, the 10th Federal Court ratified the Leniency Agreement. In compliance with the terms of the Leniency Agreement, J&F is conducting an internal investigation involving improper payments made in Brazil by or on behalf of J&F, certain companies of the J&F Group and certain officers of J&F (including two former directors of the Company). J&F has engaged outside advisors to assist in conducting the investigation, including an assessment as to whether any of the misconduct disclosed to Brazilian authorities had any connection to the Company, or resulted in a violation of U.S. law. The internal investigation is ongoing and the Company is fully cooperating with J&F in connection with the investigation. We cannot predict when the investigation will be completed or the results of the investigation, including the outcome or impact of any government investigations or any resulting litigation. On September 8, 2017, at the request of the MPF, the STF issued an order temporarily revoking the immunity from prosecution previously granted to Joesley Mendonça Batista and another executive of J&F in connection with the Plea Bargain Agreements. The MPF requested the revocation of their immunity following public disclosure of certain voice recordings involving them in which they discussed certain alleged illicit activities the MPF claims were not covered by the annexes to their respective Plea Bargain Agreements. On September 10, 2017, Joesley Mendonça Batista voluntarily turned himself into police in Brazil. On September 11, 2017, the 10th Federal Court suspended its ratification of the criminal provisions of the Leniency Agreement as a result of the STF's temporary revocation of Joesley Mendonça Batista immunity under his Plea Bargain Agreement. On October 11, 2017, Judge Vallisney de Souza of the 10th Federal Court revalidated the criminal provisions of the Leniency Agreement. We cannot predict whether the Plea Bargain Agreements will be upheld or terminated by the STF, and, if terminated, whether the Leniency Agreement will be also terminated by either the Fifth Chamber and/or the 10th Federal Court, and to what extent. If the Leniency Agreement is terminated, in whole or in part, as a result of any Plea Bargain Agreement being terminated, this may materially adversely affect the public perception or reputation of the J&F Group, including the Company, and could have a material adverse effect on the J&F Group's business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Furthermore, the termination of the Leniency Agreement may cause the termination of certain stabilization agreements entered into by JBS S.A. and certain of its subsidiaries, which would permit the lenders of the debt that is the subject to the terms of the stabilization agreements to accelerate their debt, which could have a material adverse effect on JBS S.A. and its subsidiaries (including the Company).

MARKET RISKS AND CONCENTRATIONS

MARKET RISKS AND CONCENTRATIONS	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Risks and Uncertainties [Abstract]
MARKET RISKS AND CONCENTRATIONS	MARKET RISKS AND CONCENTRATIONS The Company’s financial instruments that are exposed to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash equivalents, investment securities and trade accounts receivable. The Company’s cash equivalents and investment securities are high-quality debt and equity securities placed with major banks and financial institutions. The Company’s trade accounts receivable are generally unsecured. Credit evaluations are performed on all significant customers and updated as circumstances dictate. Concentrations of credit risk with respect to trade accounts receivable are limited due to the large number of customers and their dispersion across geographic areas. With the exception of one customer that accounts for approximately 4.9% of trade accounts and other receivables at December 31, 2017, and approximately 5.9% of net sales for 2017, the Company does not believe it has significant concentrations of credit risk in its trade accounts receivable. As of December 31, 2017, we employed approximately 30,900 persons in the U.S., approximately 10,200 persons in Mexico and approximately 10,200 persons in the U.K. and Europe. Approximately 37.8% of the Company’s employees were covered under collective bargaining agreements. Substantially all employees covered under collective bargaining agreements are covered under agreements that expire in 2018 or later. We have not experienced any labor-related work stoppage at any location in over ten years . We believe our relationship with our employees and union leadership is satisfactory. At any given time, we will likely be in some stage of contract negotiations with various collective bargaining units. In the absence of an agreement, we may become subject to labor disruption at one or more of these locations, which could have an adverse effect on our financial results. At December 31, 2017, the aggregate carrying amount of net assets belonging to our Mexico and European operations was $ 711.2 million and $ 1,367.7 million , respectively. At December 25, 2016, the aggregate carrying amount of net assets belonging to our Mexico and European operations was $673.0 million and $ 1,232.8 million , respectively.

BUSINESS SEGMENT AND GEOGRAPHIC

BUSINESS SEGMENT AND GEOGRAPHIC REPORTING	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
BUSINESS SEGMENT AND GEOGRAPHIC REPORTING	BUSINESS SEGMENT AND GEOGRAPHIC REPORTING We operate in three reportable business segments, U.S., U.K. and Europe, and Mexico. We measure segment profit as operating income. Corporate expenses are allocated to Mexico based upon various apportionment methods for specific expenditures incurred related thereto with the remaining amounts allocated to the U.S. On September 8, 2017, we acquired Moy Park, one of the top-ten food companies in the U.K., Northern Ireland's largest private sector business and one of Europe's leading poultry producers, from JBS S.A. in a common-control transaction. Moy Park's results from operations subsequent to the common-control date of September 30, 2015 comprise the U.K. and Europe segment. On January 6, 2017, the Company acquired GNP, a vertically integrated poultry business with locations in Minnesota and Wisconsin. GNP's results from operations subsequent to the acquisition date are included in the U.S. segment. Net sales to customers by customer location and long-lived assets are as follows: December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 December 28, 2015 (In thousands) Net sales United States $ 7,443,222 $ 6,671,403 $ 7,143,354 U.K. and Europe 1,996,319 1,947,441 572,568 Mexico 1,328,322 1,259,720 1,036,750 Total $ 10,767,863 $ 9,878,564 $ 8,752,672 December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 December 28, 2015 (In thousands) Operating income United States $ 841,492 $ 572,558 $ 949,610 U.K. and Europe 77,105 78,572 16,241 Mexico 153,631 140,857 95,186 Elimination 94 95 95 Total operating income $ 1,072,322 $ 792,082 $ 1,061,132 Interest expense, net of capitalized interest 107,183 75,636 46,549 Interest income (7,730 ) (2,301 ) (3,828 ) Foreign currency transaction gain (2,659 ) 4,055 26,148 Miscellaneous, net (6,538 ) (9,344 ) (9,061 ) Income before income taxes $ 982,066 $ 724,036 $ 1,001,324 December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 December 28, 2015 (In thousands) Net sales to customers by customer location: United States $ 7,452,758 $ 6,460,787 $ 6,722,455 Mexico 1,019,170 1,180,947 1,116,455 Asia 136,144 101,209 120,724 Canada, Caribbean and Central America 114,543 152,516 176,396 Africa 29,905 17,117 16,493 Europe 2,000,843 1,952,192 584,651 South America 13,279 11,955 12,114 Pacific 1,221 1,841 3,384 Total $ 10,767,863 $ 9,878,564 $ 8,752,672 December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 (In thousands) Long-lived assets (a) : United States $ 1,437,220 $ 1,220,263 U.K. and Europe 368,521 328,045 Mexico 289,406 285,677 Total $ 2,095,147 $ 1,833,985 (a) For this disclosure, we exclude financial instruments, deferred tax assets and intangible assets in accordance with ASC 280-10-50-41, Segment Reporting . Long-lived assets, as used in ASC 280-10-50-41, implies hard assets that cannot be readily removed. The following table sets forth, for the periods beginning with 2015 , net sales attributable to each of our primary product lines and markets served with those products. We based the table on our internal sales reports and their classification of product types. 2017 2016 2015 (In thousands) U.S. chicken: Fresh chicken $ 5,700,503 $ 4,627,137 $ 4,701,943 Prepared chicken 950,378 1,269,010 1,672,693 Export and other chicken 213,595 313,827 358,877 Total U.S. chicken 6,864,476 6,209,974 6,733,513 U.K. and Europe chicken: Fresh chicken 846,575 811,127 240,815 Prepared chicken 792,284 794,880 241,589 Export and other chicken 318,699 283,276 67,903 Total U.K. and Europe chicken 1,957,558 1,889,283 550,307 Mexico chicken 1,303,656 1,245,644 1,016,200 Total chicken 10,125,690 9,344,901 8,300,020 Other products: U.S. 578,746 461,429 409,841 U.K. and Europe 38,761 58,158 22,261 Mexico 24,666 14,076 20,550 Total other products 642,173 533,663 452,652 Total net sales $ 10,767,863 $ 9,878,564 $ 8,752,672

QUARTERLY RESULTS (UNAUDITED) (

QUARTERLY RESULTS (UNAUDITED) (Notes)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]
QUARTERLY RESULTS (UNAUDITED)	QUARTERLY RESULTS (UNAUDITED) 2017 First (a) Second (b) Third (c) Fourth (d) Year (In thousands, except per share data) Net sales $ 2,479,340 $ 2,752,286 $ 2,793,885 $ 2,742,352 $ 10,767,863 Gross profit 256,388 474,838 478,584 261,804 1,471,614 Net income attributable to PPC common stockholders 93,921 233,641 232,680 134,337 694,579 Net income per share amounts - basic 0.38 0.94 0.94 0.54 2.79 Net income per share amounts - diluted 0.38 0.94 0.93 0.54 2.79 Number of days in period 91 91 91 98 371 2016 First Second Third Fourth (e) Year (In thousands, except per share data) Net sales $ 2,460,410 $ 2,551,990 $ 2,495,281 $ 2,370,883 $ 9,878,564 Gross profit (loss) 284,257 337,796 253,060 228,870 1,103,983 Net income attributable to PPC 118,371 152,886 98,657 70,618 440,532 Net income per share amounts - 0.46 0.60 0.39 0.29 1.74 Net income per share amounts - 0.46 0.60 0.39 0.28 1.73 Number of days in period 91 91 91 91 364 2015 First Second (f) Third (g) Fourth (g) Year (In thousands, except per share data) Net sales $ 2,052,919 $ 2,053,876 $ 2,112,529 $ 2,533,348 $ 8,752,672 Gross profit 377,120 432,020 284,544 205,040 1,298,724 Net income attributable to PPC 204,215 241,489 137,062 63,148 645,914 Net income per share amounts - 0.79 0.93 0.53 0.25 2.50 Net income per share amounts - 0.79 0.93 0.53 0.25 2.50 Number of days in period 91 91 91 91 364 (a) In the first quarter of 2017, the company had transaction costs of approximately $0.6 million for the acquisition of GNP. (b) In the second quarter of 2017, the company recognized impairment charges of approximately $3.5 million related to our Athens, Alabama plant held for sale. (c) In the third quarter of 2017, the company had transaction costs of approximately $15 million for the acquisition of Moy Park. (d) In the fourth quarter of 2017, the company had transaction costs of approximately $4.5 million for the acquisition of Moy Park. (e) In the fourth quarter of 2016, the company recognized impairment charges of $0.8 million and $0.3 million related to our Dallas, Texas and Bossier City, Louisiana plants held for sale. (f) In the second quarter of 2015, the Company recognized impairment charges of $4.8 million related to our Dallas, Texas and Bossier City, Louisiana plants held for sale. (g) On June 29, 2015, the Company acquired, indirectly through certain of its Mexican subsidiaries, 100% of the equity of Tyson Mexico from Tyson Foods, Inc. and certain of its subsidiaries. The results of operations of the acquired business since June 29, 2015 are included in the Company’s Consolidated and Combined Statements of Operations. Net sales generated by the acquired business during the third and fourth quarters of 2015 were $128.9 million and $121.7 million , respectively. The acquired business incurred net losses of $2.9 million and $10.8 million during the third and fourth quarters of 2015, respectively.

SCHEDULE II VALUATION AND QUALI

SCHEDULE II VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Valuation and Qualifying Accounts [Abstract]
SCHEDULE II VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS	SCHEDULE II PILGRIM’S PRIDE CORPORATION VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS Additions Beginning Balance Charged to Operating Results Charged to Other Accounts Deductions Ending Balance (In thousands) Trade Accounts and Other Receivables— Allowance for Doubtful Accounts: 2017 $ 6,661 $ 2,683 $ 339 $ 1,538 (a) $ 8,145 2016 9,381 1,172 (452 ) 3,440 (a) 6,661 2015 2,525 1,201 6,087 (d) 432 (a) 9,381 Trade Accounts and Other Receivables— Allowance for Sales Adjustments: 2017 $ 4,874 $ 185,198 $ — $ 180,595 (b) $ 9,477 2016 5,662 199,423 — 200,211 (b) 4,874 2015 7,425 150,113 — 151,876 (b) 5,662 Deferred Tax Assets— Valuation Allowance: 2017 $ 25,611 $ — $ — $ (11,132 ) (c) $ 14,479 2016 27,300 — — (1,689 ) (c) 25,611 2015 9,150 — 19,379 (e) (1,229 ) (c) 27,300 (a) Uncollectible accounts written off, net of recoveries. (b) Deductions either written off, rebilled or reclassified as liabilities for market development fund rebates. (c) Reductions in the valuation allowance. (d) Allowance for doubtful accounts assumed with the acquisition of Moy Park. (e) Valuation allowance assumed with the acquisition of Moy Park.

BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNI32

BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements	Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements The Company operates on the basis of a 52 / 53 -week fiscal year ending on the Sunday falling on or before December 31. Any reference we make to a particular year (for example, 2017 ) in the notes to these Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements applies to our fiscal year and not the calendar year. On September 8, 2017, a subsidiary of the Company acquired 100% of the issued and outstanding shares of Granite Holdings Sàrl and its subsidiaries (together, “Moy Park”) from JBS S.A. in a common-control transaction. Moy Park was acquired by JBS S.A. from an unrelated third party on September 30, 2015. For the period from September 30, 2015 through September 7, 2017, the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements include the accounts of the Company and its majority-owned subsidiaries combined with the accounts of Moy Park. For the period from September 8, 2017 through December 31, 2017, the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements include the accounts of the Company and its majority-owned subsidiaries, including Moy Park. We eliminate all significant affiliate accounts and transactions upon consolidation. The Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. GAAP using management’s best estimates and judgments. These estimates and judgments affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of the contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements. The estimates and judgments will also affect the reported amounts for certain revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ materially from these estimates and judgments. Significant estimates made by the Company include the allowance for doubtful accounts, reserves related to inventory obsolescence or valuation, useful lives of long-lived assets, goodwill, valuation of deferred tax assets, insurance accruals, valuation of pension and other postretirement benefits obligations, income tax accruals, certain derivative positions and valuations of acquired businesses.
Foreign Currency Transactions and Translations	The functional currency of the Company's U.S. and Mexico operations and certain holding-company subsidiaries in Luxembourg, the U.K. and Ireland is the U.S. dollar. The functional currency of its U.K. operations is the British pound. The functional currency of the Company's operations in France and the Netherlands is the euro. For foreign currency-denominated entities other than the Company's Mexico operations, translation from local currencies into U.S. dollars is performed for most assets and liabilities using the exchange rates in effect as of the balance sheet date. Income and expense accounts are remeasured using average exchange rates for the period. Adjustments resulting from translation of these financial records are reflected as a separate component of Accumulated other comprehensive loss in the Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheets. For the Company's Mexico operations, remeasurement from the Mexican peso to U.S. dollars is performed for monetary assets and liabilities using the exchange rate in effect as of the balance sheet date. Remeasurement is performed for non-monetary assets using the historical exchange rate in effect on the date of each asset’s acquisition. Income and expense accounts are remeasured using average exchange rates for the period. Net adjustments resulting from remeasurement of these financial records are reflected in Foreign currency transaction losses (gains) in the Consolidated and Combined Statements of Income. The Company or its subsidiaries may use derivatives for the purpose of mitigating exposure to changes in foreign currency exchange rates. Foreign currency transaction gains or losses are reported in the Consolidated and Combined Statements of Income.
Revenue Recognition	Revenue Recognition We recognize revenue when all of the following circumstances are satisfied: (i) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exits, (ii) price is fixed or determinable, (iii) collectability is reasonably assured and (iv) delivery has occurred. Delivery occurs in the period in which the customer takes title and assumes the risks and rewards of ownership of the products specified in the customer’s purchase order or sales agreement. Revenue is recorded net of estimated incentive offerings including special pricing agreements, promotions and other volume-based incentives. Revisions to these estimates are charged back to net sales in the period in which the facts that give rise to the revision become known. Taxes collected from customers and remitted to governmental authorities are excluded from revenues.
Shipping and Handling Costs	Shipping and Handling Costs Costs associated with the products shipped to customers are recognized in cost of sales.
Advertising Costs	Advertising Costs The Company expenses advertising costs as incurred.
Research and Development Costs	Research and Development Costs Research and development costs are expensed as incurred.
Cash and Cash Equivalents	Cash and Cash Equivalents The Company considers highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less when acquired to be cash equivalents. The majority of the Company’s disbursement bank accounts are zero balance accounts where cash needs are funded as checks are presented for payment by the holder. Checks issued pending clearance that result in overdraft balances for accounting purposes are classified as accounts payable and the change in the related balance is reflected in operating activities on the Consolidated and Combined Statements of Cash Flows.
Investments	Investments The Company’s current investments are all highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less when acquired and are, therefore, considered cash equivalents. The Company’s current investments are comprised of fixed income securities, primarily commercial paper and a money market fund. These investments are classified as available-for-sale. These securities are recorded at fair value, and unrealized holding gains and losses are recorded, net of tax, as a separate component of accumulated other comprehensive income. Investments in fixed income securities with remaining maturities of less than one year and those identified by management at the time of purchase for funding operations in less than one year are classified as current assets. Investments in fixed income securities with remaining maturities in excess of one year that management has not identified at the time of purchase for funding operations in less than one year are classified as long-term assets. Unrealized losses are charged against net earnings when a decline in fair value is determined to be other than temporary. Management reviews several factors to determine whether a loss is other than temporary, such as the length of time a security is in an unrealized loss position, the extent to which fair value is less than amortized cost, the impact of changing interest rates in the short and long term, and the Company’s intent and ability to hold the security for a period of time sufficient to allow for any anticipated recovery in fair value. The Company determines the cost of each security sold and each amount reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income into earnings using the specific identification method. Purchases and sales are recorded on a settlement date basis. Investments in entities in which the Company has an ownership interest greater than 50% and exercises control over the entity are consolidated in the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements. Investments in entities in which the Company has an ownership interest between 20% and 50% and exercises significant influence are accounted for using the equity method. The Company invests from time to time in ventures in which its ownership interest is less than 20% and over which it does not exercise significant influence. Such investments are accounted for under the cost method. The fair values for investments not traded on a quoted exchange are estimated based upon the historical performance of the ventures, the ventures’ forecasted financial performance and management’s evaluation of the ventures’ viability and business models. To the extent the book value of an investment exceeds its assessed fair value, the Company will record an appropriate impairment charge.
Accounts Receivable	Accounts Receivable The Company records accounts receivable when revenue is recognized. We record an allowance for doubtful accounts, reducing our receivables balance to an amount we estimate is collectible from our customers. Estimates used in determining the allowance for doubtful accounts are based on historical collection experience, current trends, aging of accounts receivable, and periodic credit evaluations of our customers’ financial condition. We write off accounts receivable when it becomes apparent, based upon age or customer circumstances, that such amounts will not be collected. Generally, the Company does not require collateral for its accounts receivable.
Inventories	Inventories Live chicken inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market and breeder hen inventories at the lower of cost, less accumulated amortization, or market. The costs associated with breeder hen inventories are accumulated up to the production stage and amortized over their productive lives using the unit-of-production method. Finished poultry products, feed, eggs and other inventories are stated at the lower of cost (average) or market. We record valuation adjustments for our inventory and for estimated obsolescence at or equal to the difference between the cost of inventory and the estimated market value based upon known conditions affecting inventory, including significantly aged products, discontinued product lines, or damaged or obsolete products. We allocate meat costs between our various finished chicken products based on a by-product costing technique that reduces the cost of the whole bird by estimated yields and amounts to be recovered for certain by-product parts. This primarily includes leg quarters, wings, tenders and offal, which are carried in inventory at the estimated recovery amounts, with the remaining amount being reflected as our breast meat cost. Generally, the Company performs an evaluation of whether any lower of cost or market adjustments are required at the country level based on a number of factors, including: (i) pools of related inventory, (ii) product continuation or discontinuation, (iii) estimated market selling prices and (iv) expected distribution channels. If actual market conditions or other factors are less favorable than those projected by management, additional inventory adjustments may be required.
Property, Plant and Equipment	Property, Plant and Equipment Property, plant and equipment are stated at cost, and repair and maintenance costs are expensed as incurred. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of these assets. Estimated useful lives for building, machinery and equipment are five to 33 years and for automobiles and trucks are three to ten years. The charge to income resulting from amortization of assets recorded under capital leases is included with depreciation expense. The Company records impairment charges on long-lived assets held for use when events and circumstances indicate that the assets may be impaired and the undiscounted cash flows estimated to be generated by those assets are less than the carrying amount of those assets. When the above is true, the impairment charge is determined based upon the amount the net book value of the assets exceeds their fair market value. In making these determinations, the Company utilizes certain assumptions, including, but not limited to: (i) future cash flows estimated to be generated by these assets, which are based on additional assumptions such as asset utilization, remaining length of service and estimated salvage values, (ii) estimated fair market value of the assets and (iii) determinations with respect to the lowest level of cash flows relevant to the respective impairment test, generally groupings of related operational facilities. Given the interdependency of the Company’s individual facilities during the production process, which operate as a vertically integrated network, it evaluates impairment of assets held for use at the country level (i.e., the U.S. and Mexico). Management believes this is the lowest level of identifiable cash flows for its assets that are held for use in production activities. At the present time, the Company’s forecasts indicate that it can recover the carrying value of its assets held for use based on the projected undiscounted cash flows of the operations. The Company records impairment charges on long-lived assets held for sale when the carrying amount of those assets exceeds their fair value less appropriate selling costs. Fair value is based on amounts documented in sales contracts or letters of intent accepted by the Company, amounts included in counteroffers initiated by the Company, or, in the absence of current contract negotiations, amounts determined using a sales comparison approach for real property and amounts determined using a cost approach for personal property. Under the sales comparison approach, sales and asking prices of reasonably comparable properties are considered to develop a range of unit prices within which the current real estate market is operating. Under the cost approach, a current cost to replace the asset new is calculated and then the estimated replacement cost is reduced to reflect the applicable decline in value resulting from physical deterioration, functional obsolescence and economic obsolescence. Appropriate selling costs includes reasonable broker’s commissions, costs to produce title documents, filing fees, legal expenses and the like. We estimate appropriate closing costs as 4% to 6% of asset fair value. This range of rates is considered reasonable for our assets held for sale based on historical experience.
Goodwill and Other Intangibles, net	Goodwill and Other Intangibles, net Goodwill represents the excess of the aggregate purchase price over the fair value of the net identifiable assets acquired in a business combination. Identified intangible assets represent trade names, customer relationships and non-compete agreements arising from acquisitions that are recorded at fair value as of the date acquired less accumulated amortization, if any. The Company uses various market valuation techniques to determine the fair value of its identified intangible assets. Goodwill and other intangible assets with indefinite lives are not amortized but are tested for impairment on an annual basis in the fourth quarter of each fiscal year or more frequently if impairment indicators arise. For goodwill, an impairment loss is recognized for any excess of the carrying amount of a reporting unit’s goodwill over the implied fair value of that goodwill. Management first reviews relevant qualitative factors to determine if an indication of impairment exists for a reporting unit. If management determines there is an indication that the carrying amount of reporting unit goodwill might be impaired, a quantitative analysis is performed. Management performed a qualitative analysis noting no indications of goodwill impairment in any of its reporting units as of December 31, 2017 . For indefinite-lived intangible assets, an impairment loss is recognized if the carrying amount of an indefinite-lived intangible asset exceeds the estimated fair value of that intangible asset. Management first reviews relevant qualitative factors to determine if an indication of impairment exists. If management determines there is an indication that the carrying amount of the intangible asset might be impaired, and quantitative analysis is performed. Management performed a qualitative analysis noting no indications of impairment for any of its indefinite-lived intangible assets as of December 31, 2017 . Identifiable intangible assets with definite lives, such as customer relationships, non-compete agreements and trade names that the Company expects to use for a limited amount of time, are amortized over their estimated useful lives on a straight-line basis. The useful lives range from three to 20 years for trade names and non-compete agreements and 5 to 16 years for customer relationships. Identified intangible assets with definite lives are tested for recoverability whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying amount may not be recoverable. Management assessed if events or changes in circumstances indicated that the aggregate carrying amount of its identified intangible assets with definite lives might not be recoverable and determined that there were no impairment indicators during the fifty-three weeks ended December 31, 2017 and fifty-two weeks ended December 25, 2016 .
Book Overdraft Balances	Book Overdraft Balances The majority of the Company’s disbursement bank accounts are zero balance accounts where cash needs are funded as checks are presented for payment by the holder. Checks issued pending clearance that result in overdraft balances for accounting purposes are classified as accounts payable and the change in the related balance is reflected in operating activities on the Consolidated and Combined Statements of Cash Flows.
Litigation and Contingent Liabilities	Litigation and Contingent Liabilities The Company is subject to lawsuits, investigations and other claims related to employment, environmental, product and other matters. The Company is required to assess the likelihood of any adverse judgments or outcomes, as well as potential ranges of probable losses, to these matters. The Company estimates the amount of reserves required for these contingencies when losses are determined to be probable and after considerable analysis of each individual issue. The Company expenses legal costs related to such loss contingencies as they are incurred. The accrual for environmental remediation liabilities is measured on an undiscounted basis. These reserves may change in the future due to changes in the Company’s assumptions, the effectiveness of strategies, or other factors beyond the Company’s control.
Accrued Self Insurance	Accrued Self Insurance Insurance expense for casualty claims and employee-related health care benefits are estimated using historical and current experience and actuarial estimates. Stop-loss coverage is maintained with third-party insurers to limit the Company’s total exposure. Certain categories of claim liabilities are actuarially determined. The assumptions used to arrive at periodic expenses are reviewed regularly by management. However, actual expenses could differ from these estimates and could result in adjustments to be recognized.
Asset Retirement Obligations	Asset Retirement Obligations The Company monitors certain asset retirement obligations in connection with its operations. These obligations relate to clean-up, removal or replacement activities and related costs for “in-place” exposures only when those exposures are moved or modified, such as during renovations of our facilities. These in-place exposures include asbestos, refrigerants, wastewater, oil, lubricants and other contaminants common in manufacturing environments. Under existing regulations, the Company is not required to remove these exposures and there are no plans to undertake a renovation that would require removal of the asbestos or the remediation of the other in-place exposures at this time. The facilities are expected to be maintained and repaired by activities that will not result in the removal or disruption of these in-place exposures at this time. As a result, there is an indeterminate settlement date for these asset retirement obligations because the range of time over which the Company may incur these liabilities is unknown and cannot be reasonably estimated. Therefore, the Company has not recorded the fair value of any potential liability.
Income Taxes	Income Taxes The Company follows provisions under ASC No. 740-10-30-27 in the Expenses-Income Taxes topic with regard to members of a group that file a consolidated tax return but issue separate financial statements. The Company files its own U.S. federal tax return, but it is included in certain state unitary returns with JBS USA Food Company Holdings (“JBS USA Holdings”). The income tax expense of the Company is computed using the separate return method. The provision for income taxes has been determined using the asset and liability approach of accounting for income taxes. For the unitary states, we have an obligation to make tax payments to JBS USA Holdings for our share of the unitary taxable income, which is included in taxes payable in our Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheets. Under this approach, deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effect of temporary differences between the book and tax bases of recorded assets and liabilities, net operating losses and tax credit carry forwards. The amount of deferred tax on these temporary differences is determined using the tax rates expected to apply to the period when the asset is realized or the liability is settled, as applicable, based on the tax rates and laws in the respective tax jurisdiction enacted as of the balance sheet date. The Company reviews its deferred tax assets for recoverability and establishes a valuation allowance based on historical taxable income, potential for carry back of tax losses, projected future taxable income, applicable tax strategies, and the expected timing of the reversals of existing temporary differences. A valuation allowance is provided when it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Valuation allowances have been established primarily for net operating loss carry forwards of certain foreign subsidiaries. See “Note 12. Income Taxes” to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements. The Company deems its earnings from its foreign subsidiaries as of December 31, 2017 to be permanently reinvested. As such, U.S. deferred income taxes have not been provided on these earnings. If such earnings were not considered indefinitely reinvested, certain deferred foreign and U.S. income taxes would be provided. The Company follows provisions under ASC No. 740-10-25 that provide a recognition threshold and measurement criteria for the financial statement recognition of a tax benefit taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. Tax benefits are recognized only when it is more likely than not, based on the technical merits, that the benefits will be sustained on examination. Tax benefits that meet the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold are measured using a probability weighting of the largest amount of tax benefit that has greater than 50.0% likelihood of being realized upon settlement. Whether the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold is met for a particular tax benefit is a matter of judgment based on the individual facts and circumstances evaluated in light of all available evidence as of the balance sheet date. See “Note 12. Income Taxes” to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements.
Pension and Other Postemployment Benefits	Pension and Other Postemployment Benefits Our pension and other postemployment benefit costs and obligations are dependent on the various actuarial assumptions used in calculating such amounts. These assumptions relate to discount rates, long-term return on plan assets and other factors. We base the discount rate assumptions on current investment yields on high-quality corporate long-term bonds. We determine the long-term return on plan assets based on historical portfolio results and management’s expectation of the future economic environment. Actual results that differ from our assumptions are accumulated and, if in excess of the lesser of 10% of the projected benefit obligation or the fair market value of plan assets, amortized over either (i) the estimated average future service period of active plan participants if the plan is active or (ii) the estimated average future life expectancy of all plan participants if the plan is frozen.
Operating Leases	Operating Leases Rent expense for operating leases is recorded on a straight-line basis over the lease term unless the lease contains an escalation clause which is not fixed or determinable. The lease term begins when we have the right to control the use of the leased property, which is typically before rent payments are due under the terms of the lease. If a lease has a fixed or determinable escalation clause, the difference between rent expense and rent paid is recorded as deferred rent and is included in the Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheets. Rent for operating leases that do not have an escalation clause or where escalation is based on an inflation index is expensed over the lease term as it is payable.
Derivative Financial Instruments	Derivative Financial Instruments The Company uses derivative financial instruments (e.g., futures, forwards and options) for the purpose of mitigating exposure to changes in commodity prices and foreign currency exchange rates. • Commodity Price Risk - The Company utilizes various raw materials, which are all considered commodities, in its operations, including corn, soybean meal, soybean oil, wheat, natural gas, electricity and diesel fuel. The Company considers these raw materials to be generally available from a number of different sources and believes it can obtain them to meet its requirements. These commodities are subject to price fluctuations and related price risk due to factors beyond our control, such as economic and political conditions, supply and demand, weather, governmental regulation and other circumstances. Generally, the Company enters into derivative contracts such as physical forward contracts and exchange-traded futures or option contracts in an attempt to mitigate price risk related to its anticipated consumption of commodity inputs for periods up to 12 months. The Company may enter into longer-term derivatives on particular commodities if deemed appropriate. • Foreign Currency Risk - The Company has foreign operations and, therefore, has exposure to foreign exchange risk when the financial results of those operations are translated to US dollars. The Company will occasionally purchase derivative financial instruments such as foreign currency forward contracts in an attempt to mitigate currency exchange rate exposure related to the net assets of its Mexico operations that are denominated in Mexican pesos. The Company’s Moy Park operation also attempts to mitigate foreign currency exposure on certain euro- and U.S. dollar-denominated transactions through the use of derivative financial instruments. Pilgrim’s recognizes all commodity derivative instruments that qualify for derivative accounting treatment as either assets or liabilities and measures those instruments at fair value unless they qualify for, and we elect, the normal purchases and normal sales scope exception (“NPNS”). The permitted accounting treatments include: cash flow hedge; fair value hedge; and undesignated contracts. Undesignated contract accounting is the default accounting treatment for all derivatives unless they qualify, and we specifically designate them, for one of the other accounting treatments. Derivatives designated for any of the elective accounting treatments must meet specific, restrictive criteria both at the time of designation and on an ongoing basis. The Company has generally applied the NPNS exception to its forward physical grain purchase contracts. NPNS contracts are accounted for using the accrual method of accounting; therefore, there were no amounts recorded in the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements at December 31, 2017 and December 25, 2016. Undesignated contracts may include contracts not designated as a hedge or for which the NPNS exception was not elected, contracts that do not qualify for hedge accounting and derivatives that do not or no longer qualify for the NPNS scope exception. The fair value of these derivatives is recognized in the Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheets within Prepaid expenses and other current assets or Accrued expenses and other current liabilities . Changes in fair value of these derivatives are recognized immediately in the Consolidated and Combined Statements of Income within Net sales , Cost of sales or Selling, general and administrative expense , depending on the risk they are intended to mitigate. While management believes these instruments help mitigate various market risks, they are not designated nor accounted for as hedges as a result of the extensive recordkeeping requirements. The Company designated a British pound-denominated promissory note payable issued to JBS S.A. in conjunction with the Moy Park acquisition as a hedge of its net investment in Moy Park. The remeasurement of the note is reported as a foreign currency translation adjustment in accumulated other comprehensive loss in the Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheets and will be reclassified into earnings only if the Company divests its investment in Moy Park. The Company paid the promissory note payable in full with proceeds from the sale of senior notes (See “Note 11. Long-Term Debt and Other Borrowing Arrangements” to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements). At December 31, 2017, the balance of the remeasurement adjustment in accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax, was $13.5 million . Pilgrim’s has designated a portion of its foreign currency derivatives as cash flow hedges and the effective portion of the gain or loss on these derivatives is reported as a component of Accumulated other comprehensive loss within the Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheets and reclassified into earnings in the same period or periods during which the hedged transactions affect earnings. The derivatives are designated as hedging the variability in expected future cash flows from foreign currency exchange risk related to sales and purchases denominated in nonfunctional currencies.
Use of Estimates	Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. (“U.S. GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. We make significant estimates in regard to receivables collectability; inventory valuation; realization of deferred tax assets; valuation of long-lived assets; valuation of contingent liabilities, liabilities subject to compromise and self insurance liabilities; valuation of pension and other postretirement benefits obligations; and valuation of acquired businesses.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	Recent Accounting Pronouncements In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued new accounting guidance new accounting guidance on revenue recognition, which provides for a single five-step model to be applied to all revenue contracts with customers. The new standard also requires additional financial statement disclosures that will enable users to understand the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows relating to customer contracts. Companies have an option to use either a retrospective approach or cumulative effect adjustment approach to implement the standard. We will adopt this standard as of January 1, 2018, the beginning of our 2018 fiscal year, using the cumulative effect adjustment, often referred to as modified retrospective approach. Under this method, we would not restate the prior financial statements presented, and would record any adjustments in the opening balance sheet for January 2018. The new guidance on revenue recognition requires the use of more estimates and judgments than the present standards. Additional disclosures will include the amount by which each financial statement line item is affected in the current reporting period during 2018, as compared to the prior guidance. Our implementation of the new revenue guidance is in its final stages of a three phased evaluation process. Our process is outlined below. Phase 1 - Assess: • A high-level adoption analysis and training • Reviewed and analyzed the Company’s revenue streams • Identified and reviewed representative customer contracts from revenue streams • Identified potential accounting impacts and documented key items to be validated and quantified Phase 2 - Evaluate: • Company has concluded on the majority of Company's position for any accounting treatment differences and is in the process of documenting • Quantifying the potential effects this guidance will have on its Consolidated and Combined Financial Statement • Evaluating any changes to the Company's accounting policies • Expanding disclosures as required by the new standard • Identifying the impact the new standard will have on business processes, systems and internal controls to support the recognition and disclosure requirements under the new standard • Training the organization, as applicable Phase 3- Implement (in process): • Finalize decisions related to the new standard • Record any accounting adjustments identified • Evaluate and test updated or newly implemented internal controls surrounding adoption of the new standard • Revise the Company’s first quarter 2018 financial statement disclosures to incorporate the qualitative and quantitative impact of adoption and expanded disclosures • Share results with Audit Committee The Company is on schedule to complete the implementation phase in March 2018. While the Company has reached conclusions on key accounting assumptions we are in process of finalizing any accounting policy changes, documentation and internal controls for the new revenue standard. The new revenue standard will have a minimal impact on our financial statements beyond additional disclosure requirements. The cumulative effect on equity of initially applying the new standard is expected to be immaterial, with an immaterial impact to our net income on an ongoing basis. Due to the nature of our business, we anticipate minimal changes will be made to our accounting and revenue policies. In July 2015, the FASB issued new accounting guidance on the subsequent measurement of inventory, which, in an effort to simplify unnecessarily complicated accounting guidance that can result in several potential outcomes, requires an entity to measure inventory at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Net realizable value is the estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal and transportation. Current accounting guidance requires an entity to measure inventory at the lower of cost or market. Market could be replacement cost, net realizable value, or net realizable value less an approximately normal profit margin. The provisions of the new guidance were effective as of the beginning of our 2017 fiscal year. The initial adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on our financial statements. In February 2016, the FASB issued new accounting guidance on lease arrangements, which, in an effort to increase transparency and comparability among organizations utilizing leasing, requires an entity that is a lessee to recognize the assets and liabilities arising from leases on the balance sheet. This guidance also requires disclosures about the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. In transition, the entity is required to recognize and measure leases at the beginning of the earliest period presented using a modified retrospective approach. The provisions of the new guidance will be effective as of the beginning of our 2019 fiscal year. Early adoption is permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of the new guidance on our financial statements and have elected to adopt as of the beginning of our 2019 fiscal year. In March 2016, the FASB issued new accounting guidance on employee share-based payments, which, in an effort to simplify unnecessarily complicated aspects of accounting and reporting for share-based payment transactions, requires an entity to amend accounting and reporting methodology for areas such as the income tax consequences of share-based payments, classification of share-based awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification of share-based payment transactions in the statement of cash flows. The transition approach will vary depending on the area of accounting and reporting methodology to be amended. The Company adopted this standard on December 26, 2016, the beginning of our 2017 fiscal year, and will prospectively present excess tax benefits or deficiencies in the income statement as a component of “Provision for income taxes” rather than in the “Equity” section of the Balance Sheet. As part of the adoption, the Company did not have a cumulative-effect adjustment, as there were no previous unrecognized excess tax benefits that would impact retained earnings. As a result, there was no retrospective adjustment to the prior period statement of cash flows of excess tax benefits as an operating activity rather than a financing activity. In June 2016, the FASB issued new accounting guidance on the measurement of credit losses on financial instruments, which, in an effort to provide financial statement users with more decision-useful information about the expected credit losses on financial instruments, replaces the current incurred loss impairment methodology with a methodology that reflects expected credit losses and requires consideration of a broader range of reasonable and supportable information to inform credit loss estimates. The amendments affect loans, debt securities, trade receivables, net investments in leases, off-balance sheet credit exposures, reinsurance receivables and any other financial assets not excluded from the scope that have the contractual right to receive cash. The provisions of the new guidance will be effective as of the beginning of our 2020 fiscal year. Early adoption is permitted after our 2018 fiscal year. We are currently evaluating the impact of the new guidance on our financial statements and have not yet selected an adoption date. In November 2016, the FASB issued new accounting guidance on the classification and presentation of restricted cash in the statement of cash flows in order to eliminate the diversity that currently exists in how companies present these changes. The new guidance requires restricted cash to be included with cash and cash equivalents when explaining the changes in cash in the statement of cash flows. We elected to early adopt this guidance as of December 26, 2016, the beginning of our 2017 fiscal year. An entity should apply the new guidance on a retrospective basis, wherein the statement of cash flow of each individual period presented should be adjusted to reflect the period-specific effects of applying the new guidance. Upon transition, an entity is required to comply with the applicable disclosures for a change in an accounting principle. These disclosures include the nature of and reason for the change in accounting principle, the transition method, a description of the prior-period information that has been retrospectively adjusted and the effect of the change on the financial statement line items. A description of the prior-period information that has been retrospectively adjusted and the effect of the change on the statement of cash flow line items is not disclosed as it is not material. In March 2017, the FASB issued new accounting guidance on the presentation of net periodic pension cost and net periodic postretirement benefit cost, which, in an effort to improve consistency and transparency, requires the service cost component of defined benefit pension cost and postretirement benefit cost (“net benefit cost”) to be reported in the same line of the income statement as other compensation costs earned by the employee and the other components of net benefit cost to be reported below income from operations. The new guidance will be effective as of the beginning of our 2019 fiscal year with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of the new guidance on our financial statements and have not yet selected an adoption date. In August 2017, the FASB issued an accounting standard update that simplifies the application of hedge accounting guidance in current GAAP and improves the reporting of hedging relationships to better portray the economic results of an entity’s risk management activities in its financial statements. Among the simplification updates, the standard eliminates the requirement in current GAAP to separately recognize periodic hedge ineffectiveness. Mismatches between the changes in value of the hedged item and hedging instrument may still occur but they will no longer be separately reported. The standard requires the presentation of the earnings effect of the hedging instrument in the same income statement line item in which the earnings effect of the hedged item is reported. The standard is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018, but early adoption is permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact the adoption of this standard will have on our financial statements.

BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS (Tables)

BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Pro Forma Information	The following table summarizes the results of operations of Moy Park since the September 30, 2015 common-control date: Net Sales Net Income (In thousands) September 8, 2017 through December 31, 2017 $ 722,387 $ 34,039 December 26, 2016 through September 7, 2017 1,273,932 23,486 2016 1,947,441 40,388 2015 572,568 17,010 The following unaudited pro forma information presents the combined financial results for the Company, Moy Park, GNP and Tyson Mexico as if all the acquisitions had been completed at the beginning of 2015 . 2017 2016 2015 (In thousands, except per share amounts) Net sales $ 10,773,662 $ 10,311,325 $ 11,157,328 Net income attributable to Pilgrim's Pride Corporation 664,776 401,630 631,800 Net income attributable to Pilgrim's Pride Corporation 2.67 1.58 2.44
Consideration Paid	The following table summarizes the consideration paid for Tyson Mexico (in thousands): Negotiated sales price $ 400,000 Working capital adjustment (20,933 ) Final purchase price $ 379,067 The following table summarizes the consideration paid for GNP (in thousands) Negotiated sales price $ 350,000 Working capital adjustment 7,252 Preliminary purchase price $ 357,252
Fair Values for Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed	The fair values recorded for the assets acquired and liabilities assumed for Tyson Mexico are as follows (in thousands): Cash and cash equivalents $ 5,535 Trade accounts and other receivables 24,173 Inventories 68,130 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 7,661 Property, plant and equipment 209,139 Identifiable intangible assets 26,411 Other long-lived assets 199 Total assets acquired 341,248 Accounts payable 21,550 Other current liabilities 8,707 Long-term deferred tax liabilities 52,376 Other long-term liabilities 5,155 Total liabilities assumed 87,788 Total identifiable net assets 253,460 Goodwill 125,607 Total net assets $ 379,067 The fair values recorded for the assets acquired and liabilities assumed for GNP are as follows (in thousands): Cash and cash equivalents $ 10 Trade accounts and other receivables 18,453 Inventories 56,459 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 3,414 Property, plant and equipment 144,138 Identifiable intangible assets 131,120 Other long-lived assets 829 Total assets acquired 354,423 Accounts payable 23,848 Other current liabilities 11,866 Other long-term liabilities 3,393 Total liabilities assumed 39,107 Total identifiable net assets 315,316 Goodwill 41,936 Total net assets $ 357,252
Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets	The Company recognized certain identifiable intangible assets as of January 6, 2017 due to this acquisition. The following table presents the fair values and useful lives, where applicable, of these assets: Fair Value Useful Life (In thousands) (In years) Customer relationships $ 92,900 13.0 Trade names 38,200 20.0 Non-compete agreement 20 3.0 Total fair value $ 131,120 Weighted average useful life 15.2
Change in Goodwill	The Company recognized the following change in goodwill related to this acquisition during 2016 (in thousands): Goodwill, beginning of period $ 156,565 Additional fair value attributed to acquired property, plant and equipment (51,387 ) Deferred tax impact related to additional fair value attributed to acquired property, plant and equipment 15,416 Deferred tax impact related to customer relationship intangibles 5,013 Goodwill, end of period $ 125,607

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (Tables

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Schedule of Assets and Liabilities Measured on a Recurring Basis	The following items were measured at fair value on a recurring basis: December 31, 2017 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total (In thousands) Fair value assets: Commodity futures instruments $ 301 $ — $ — $ 301 Commodity options instruments 421 — — 421 Foreign currency instruments 45 — — 45 Fair value liabilities: Commodity futures instruments (296 ) — — (296 ) Commodity options instruments (3,551 ) — — (3,551 ) Foreign currency instruments (211 ) — — (211 ) December 25, 2016 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total (In thousands) Fair value assets: Commodity futures instruments $ 5,341 $ — $ — $ 5,341 Commodity options instruments 98 — — 98 Foreign currency instruments 516 — — 516 Fair value liabilities: Commodity futures instruments (4,063 ) — — (4,063 ) Commodity option instruments (2,764 ) — — (2,764 ) Foreign currency instruments (153 ) — — (153 )
Schedule of Carrying Amounts and Estimated Fair Values of Fixed-Rate Debt Obligation	The carrying amounts and estimated fair values of our fixed-rate debt obligation recorded in the Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheets consisted of the following: December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 Carrying Fair Carrying Fair (In thousands) Fixed-rate senior notes payable at 5.75%, at Level 1 inputs $ (750,000 ) $ (774,375 ) $ (500,000 ) $ (503,395 ) Fixed-rate senior notes payable at 5.875%, at Level 1 inputs (604,820 ) (619,080 ) — — Fixed-rate senior notes payable at 6.25%, at Level 1 inputs (403,444 ) (418,787 ) (369,736 ) (389,709 ) Chattel Mortgages, at Level 3 inputs (873 ) (855 ) (1,432 ) (1,379 )

TRADE ACCOUNTS AND OTHER RECE35

TRADE ACCOUNTS AND OTHER RECEIVABLES (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Accounts Receivable, Net [Abstract]
Schedule of Trade Accounts and Other Receivables	Trade accounts and other receivables (including accounts receivable from related parties), less allowance for doubtful accounts, consisted of the following: December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 (In thousands) Trade accounts receivable $ 548,472 $ 435,818 Notes receivable - current 5,130 630 Other receivables 20,021 15,766 Receivables, gross 573,623 452,214 Allowance for doubtful accounts (8,145 ) (6,661 ) Receivables, net $ 565,478 $ 445,553 Accounts receivable from related parties (a) $ 2,951 $ 4,010 (a) Additional information regarding accounts receivable from related parties is included in “Note 18. Related Party Transactions.” Changes in the allowance for doubtful accounts were as follows: Total (In thousands) Balance at December 25, 2016 $ (6,661 ) Provision charged to operating results (2,700 ) Account write-offs and recoveries 1,538 Effect of exchange rate (322 ) Balance at December 31, 2017 $ (8,145 )

INVENTORIES (Tables)

INVENTORIES (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Inventories	Inventories consisted of the following: December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 (In thousands) Live chicken and hens $ 585,525 $ 407,475 Feed, eggs and other 218,611 257,049 Finished chicken products 390,412 243,824 Total chicken inventories 1,194,548 908,348 Commercial feed, table eggs and other 60,522 67,260 Total inventories $ 1,255,070 $ 975,608

INVESTMENTS IN SECURITIES (Tabl

INVESTMENTS IN SECURITIES (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Investments, Debt and Equity Securities [Abstract]
Schedule of Available-For-Sale Securities	The following table summarizes our investments in available-for-sale securities: December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 Fair Fair (In thousands) Cash equivalents: Fixed income securities $ 330,456 $ 330,456 $ 140,480 $ 140,480 Other 942 942 61 61

DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUME38

DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Outstanding Derivative Instruments and Cash Collateral	Information regarding the Company’s outstanding derivative instruments and cash collateral posted with (owed to) brokers is included in the following table: December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 (Fair values in thousands) Fair values: Commodity derivative assets $ 722 $ 5,439 Commodity derivative liabilities (3,847 ) (6,827 ) Foreign currency derivative assets 45 516 Foreign currency derivative liabilities (211 ) (153 ) Cash collateral posted with brokers 8,021 4,979 Derivatives Coverage (a) : Corn 3.1 % 2.3 % Soybean meal 1.7 % 0.3 % Period through which stated percent of needs are covered: Corn March 2019 September 2018 Soybean meal December 2018 July 2017 (a) Derivatives coverage is the percent of anticipated corn and soybean meal needs covered by outstanding derivative instruments through a specified date.
Schedule of Cash Flow Hedges Included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	The following tables present the components of the gain or loss on derivatives that qualify as cash flow hedges: Gain (Loss) Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income on Derivative (Effective Portion) December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 December 27, 2015 (In thousands) Foreign currency derivatives gain (loss) $ (60 ) $ 152 $ 55 Total $ (60 ) $ 152 $ 55 Net Realized Gain (Loss) Recognized in Income on Derivative (Ineffective Portion) December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 December 27, 2015 (In thousands) Foreign currency derivatives $ — $ — $ — Total $ — $ — $ — Gain (Loss) Reclassified from AOCI into Income (Effective Portion) December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 December 27, 2015 (In thousands) Foreign currency derivatives gain (loss) $ 639 $ (310 ) $ 5 Total $ 639 $ (310 ) $ 5

GOODWILL AND IDENTIFIED INTAN39

GOODWILL AND IDENTIFIED INTANGIBLE ASSETS (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Goodwill by Segment	The activity in goodwill by segment for the years ended December 31, 2017 and December 25, 2016 were as follows: December 25, 2016 Additions Currency Translation December 31, 2017 (In thousands) United States $ — $ 41,936 $ — $ 41,936 U.K. and Europe 761,614 — 72,732 834,346 Mexico 125,607 — — 125,607 Total $ 887,221 $ 41,936 $ 72,732 $ 1,001,889 December 27, 2015 Additions Currency Translation December 25, 2016 (In thousands) United States $ — $ — $ — $ — U.K. and Europe 915,641 — (154,027 ) 761,614 Mexico 156,565 (30,958 ) — 125,607 Total $ 1,072,206 $ (30,958 ) $ (154,027 ) $ 887,221
Schedule of Intangible Assets	Identified intangible assets consisted of the following: December 25, 2016 Additions Amortization Currency Translation Disposals December 31, 2017 (In thousands) Carrying amount: Trade names $ 41,369 $ 38,200 $ — $ 117 $ — $ 79,686 Customer relationships 151,147 92,900 — 7,905 — 251,952 Non-compete agreements 300 20 — — — 320 Trade names not subject to amortization 369,258 — — 34,336 — 403,594 Accumulated amortization: — Trade names (37,128 ) — (3,808 ) 48 — (40,888 ) Customer relationships (53,055 ) — (22,571 ) (1,568 ) — (77,194 ) Non-compete agreements (300 ) — (7 ) — — (307 ) Total $ 471,591 $ 131,120 $ (26,386 ) $ 40,838 $ — $ 617,163 December 27, 2015 Additions Amortization Currency Translation Disposals December 25, 2016 (In thousands) Carrying amount: Trade names $ 41,617 $ — $ — $ (248 ) $ — $ 41,369 Customer relationships 168,021 — — (16,874 ) — 151,147 Non-compete agreements 300 — — — — 300 Trade names not subject to amortization 441,974 — — (72,716 ) — 369,258 Accumulated amortization: — Trade names (35,216 ) — (1,905 ) (7 ) — (37,128 ) Customer relationships (37,583 ) — (16,834 ) 1,362 — (53,055 ) Non-compete agreements (300 ) — — — (300 ) Total $ 578,813 $ — $ (18,739 ) $ (88,483 ) $ — $ 471,591 Intangible assets are amortized over the estimated useful lives of the assets as follows: Customer relationships 5-16 years Trade names 3-20 years Non-compete agreements 3 years

PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT (

PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]
Schedule of Property, Plant and Equipment	Property, plant and equipment (“PP&E”), net consisted of the following: December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 (In thousands) Land $ 205,087 $ 150,127 Buildings 1,681,610 1,487,353 Machinery and equipment 2,533,522 2,268,526 Autos and trucks 58,159 58,454 Construction-in-progress 187,094 255,086 Property, plant and equipment, gross 4,665,472 4,219,546 Accumulated depreciation (2,570,325 ) (2,385,561 ) Property, plant and equipment, net $ 2,095,147 $ 1,833,985

CURRENT LIABILITIES (Tables)

CURRENT LIABILITIES (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Payables and Accruals [Abstract]
Schedule of Current Liabilities	Current liabilities, other than income taxes and current maturities of long-term debt, consisted of the following components: December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 (In thousands) Accounts payable: Trade accounts $ 691,176 $ 722,495 Book overdrafts 56,022 63,577 Other payables 15,246 4,306 Total accounts payable 762,444 790,378 Accounts payable to related parties (a) 2,889 4,468 Accrued expenses and other current liabilities: Compensation and benefits 181,678 160,591 Interest and debt-related fees 29,750 10,907 Insurance and self-insured claims 79,911 82,544 Derivative liabilities: Commodity futures 296 4,063 Commodity options 3,551 2,764 Foreign currency derivatives 211 153 Other accrued expenses 121,944 85,999 Total accrued expenses and other current liabilities 417,341 347,021 $ 1,182,674 $ 1,141,867 (a) Additional information regarding accounts payable to related parties is included in “Note 18. Related Party Transactions.”

LONG-TERM DEBT AND OTHER BORR42

LONG-TERM DEBT AND OTHER BORROWING ARRANGEMENTS (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Long-term Debt	Long-term debt consisted of the following components: Maturity December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 Long-term debt and other long-term borrowing arrangements: (In thousands) Senior notes payable, net of unaccreted premium at 5.75% 2025 $ 754,820 $ 500,000 Senior notes payable at 5.875% 2027 600,000 — Senior notes payable at 6.25% 2021 403,444 369,736 U.S. Credit Facility (defined below): Term note payable at 2.61% 2022 780,000 500,000 Revolving note payable at 2.84% 2022 73,262 — Mexico Credit Facility (defined below) with notes payable at TIIE rate plus 0.90% 2019 76,307 23,304 Moy Park Multicurrency Revolving Facility with notes payable at LIBOR rate plus 2.5% 2019 9,590 11,985 Moy Park Receivables Finance Agreement with payables at LIBOR plus 1.5% 2020 — — Moy Park France Invoice Discounting Revolver with payables at EURIBOR plus 0.8% 2018 1,815 8,918 Chattels mortgages at weighted average of 3.74% Various 873 1,432 Term Loan Agence L’eau 2018 — 6 Capital lease obligations Various 9,239 14,600 Long-term debt 2,709,350 1,429,981 Less: Current maturities of long-term debt (47,775 ) (15,712 ) Long-term debt, less current maturities 2,661,575 1,414,269 Less: Capitalized financing costs (25,958 ) (18,145 ) Long-term debt, less current maturities, net of capitalized financing costs: $ 2,635,617 $ 1,396,124

INCOME TAXES (Tables)

INCOME TAXES (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Before Income Taxes by Jurisdiction	Income before income taxes by jurisdiction is as follows: 2017 2016 2015 (In thousands) U.S. $ 773,160 $ 532,853 $ 920,250 Foreign 208,906 191,183 81,074 Total $ 982,066 $ 724,036 $ 1,001,324
Components of Income Tax Expense (Benefit)	The components of income tax expense (benefit) are set forth below: 2017 2016 2015 (In thousands) Current: Federal $ 213,146 $ 165,989 $ 248,821 Foreign 65,100 62,753 43,640 State and other 35,614 20,211 26,019 Total current 313,860 248,953 318,480 Deferred: Federal (19,434 ) (3,529 ) 32,819 Foreign (34,264 ) (2,490 ) (19,695 ) State and other 3,737 985 6,748 Total deferred (49,961 ) (5,034 ) 19,872 $ 263,899 $ 243,919 $ 338,352
Schedule of Income Tax Reconciliation	The following table reconciles the statutory U.S. federal income tax rate to the Company’s effective income tax rate: 2017 2016 2015 Federal income tax rate 35.0 % 35.0 % 35.0 % State tax rate, net 2.6 2.4 2.3 Domestic production activity (1.6 ) (1.3 ) (1.9 ) Difference in U.S. statutory tax rate and foreign country effective tax rate (1.4 ) (1.4 ) (0.9 ) Rate change (5.3 ) — — Tax credits (0.5 ) (0.6 ) (0.7 ) Change in reserve for unrecognized tax benefits (0.7 ) (0.2 ) (0.1 ) Change in valuation allowance (1.2 ) (0.1 ) — Other — 0.8 1.2 Total 26.9 % 34.6 % 34.9 %
Schedule of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities	Significant components of the Company’s deferred tax liabilities and assets are as follows: December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 (In thousands) Deferred tax liabilities: PP&E and identified intangible assets $ 213,500 $ 242,991 Inventories 57,641 93,114 Insurance claims and losses 29,253 42,186 Business combinations 50,695 47,260 Other 18,519 7,938 Total deferred tax liabilities 369,608 433,489 Deferred tax assets: Net operating losses 3,276 3,396 Foreign net operating losses 26,934 32,825 Credit carry forwards 2,425 2,080 Allowance for doubtful accounts 1,767 4,274 Accrued liabilities 50,389 57,567 Workers compensation 26,119 38,834 Pension and other postretirement benefits 13,379 21,903 Other 51,306 46,414 Total deferred tax assets 175,595 207,293 Valuation allowance (14,479 ) (25,611 ) Net deferred tax assets 161,116 181,682 Net deferred tax liabilities $ 208,492 $ 251,807
Schedule of Unrecognized Tax Benefits	A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amounts of unrecognized tax benefits is as follows: December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 (In thousands) Unrecognized tax benefits, beginning of year $ 16,813 $ 17,110 Increase as a result of tax positions taken during the current year 1,163 1,031 Increase as a result of tax positions taken during prior years 60 16 Decrease as a result of tax positions taken during prior years (892 ) (140 ) Decrease for lapse in statute of limitations (4,123 ) (1,204 ) Decrease relating to settlements with taxing authorities (1,155 ) — Unrecognized tax benefits, end of year $ 11,866 $ 16,813

PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREM44

PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Defined Benefit Plan [Abstract]
Schedule of Defined Benefit Plan Obligations and Assets	The change in benefit obligation, change in fair value of plan assets, funded status and amounts recognized in the Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheets for these plans were as follows: Pension Benefits Other Benefits 2017 2016 2017 2016 Change in projected benefit obligation: (In thousands) Projected benefit obligation, beginning of year $ 167,159 $ 165,952 $ 1,648 $ 1,672 Interest cost 5,571 5,585 51 51 Actuarial losses (gains) 15,745 10,305 68 46 Benefits paid (10,228 ) (6,098 ) — — Settlements (a) — (8,585 ) (164 ) (121 ) Projected benefit obligation, end of year $ 178,247 $ 167,159 $ 1,603 $ 1,648 (a) A settlement is a transaction that is an irrevocable action, relieves the employer or the plan of primary responsibility for a pension or postretirement obligation and eliminates significant risks related to the obligation and the assets used to affect the settlement. A settlement can be triggered when a plan pays lump sums totaling more than the sum of the plan’s interest cost and service cost. The GK Pension Plan, the Retiree Life Plan, and the Union Pension Plan met this threshold in 2017 and 2016. Pension Benefits Other Benefits 2017 2016 2017 2016 Change in plan assets: (In thousands) Fair value of plan assets, beginning of year $ 97,526 $ 96,947 $ — $ — Actual return on plan assets 12,325 4,460 — — Contributions by employer 12,947 10,802 164 121 Benefits paid (10,228 ) (6,098 ) — — Settlements — (8,585 ) (164 ) (121 ) Fair value of plan assets, end of year $ 112,570 $ 97,526 $ — $ — Pension Benefits Other Benefits 2017 2016 2017 2016 Funded status: (In thousands) Unfunded benefit obligation, end of year $ (65,677 ) $ (69,633 ) $ (1,603 ) $ (1,648 ) Pension Benefits Other Benefits 2017 2016 2017 2016 Amounts recognized in the Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheets at end of year: (In thousands) Current liability $ (12,168 ) $ (13,113 ) $ (149 ) $ (147 ) Long-term liability (53,509 ) (56,520 ) (1,454 ) (1,501 ) Recognized liability $ (65,677 ) $ (69,633 ) $ (1,603 ) $ (1,648 ) Pension Benefits Other Benefits 2017 2016 2017 2016 Amounts recognized in accumulated other comprehensive loss at end of year: (In thousands) Net actuarial loss (gain) $ 54,235 $ 46,494 $ 35 $ (31 )
Schedule of Net Periodic Benefit Cost (Income)	Net pension and other postretirement costs included the following components: Pension Benefits Other Benefits 2017 2016 2015 2017 2016 2015 (In thousands) Interest cost $ 5,571 $ 5,585 $ 7,754 $ 51 $ 51 $ 67 Estimated return on plan assets (5,254 ) (5,256 ) (6,684 ) — — — Settlement loss (gain) — 2,064 3,843 2 (2 ) (4 ) Amortization of net loss 932 659 714 — — — Net cost $ 1,249 $ 3,052 $ 5,627 $ 53 $ 49 $ 63
Schedule of Economic Assumptions, and Impact of Change in Discount Rate on Benefit Obligation	The sensitivity of the projected benefit obligation for pension benefits to changes in the discount rate is set out below. The impact of a change in the discount rate of 0.25% on the projected benefit obligation for other benefits is less than $1,000 . This sensitivity analysis is based on changing one assumption while holding all other assumptions constant. In practice, this is unlikely to occur, and changes in some of the assumptions may be correlated. When calculating the sensitivity of the defined benefit obligation to variations in significant actuarial assumptions, the same method (present value of the defined benefit obligation calculated with the projected unit credit method at the end of the reporting period) has been applied as that for calculating the liability recognized in the Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheet. Increase in Discount Rate of 0.25% Decrease in Discount Rate of 0.25% (In thousands) Impact on projected benefit obligation for pension benefits $ (5,087 ) $ 4,828 The weighted average assumptions used in determining pension and other postretirement plan information were as follows: Pension Benefits Other Benefits 2017 2016 2015 2017 2016 2015 Benefit obligation: Discount rate 3.69 % 4.31 % 4.47 % 3.39 % 3.81 % 4.47 % Net pension and other postretirement cost: Discount rate 4.32 % 4.47 % 4.22 % 3.81 % 4.47 % 4.22 % Expected return on plan assets 5.50 % 5.50 % 5.50 % NA NA NA
Schedule of Plan Asset Allocations	The following table reflects the pension plans’ actual asset allocations: 2017 2016 Cash and cash equivalents 5 % — % Pooled separate accounts (a) : Equity securities 5 % 5 % Fixed income securities 4 % 5 % Common collective trust funds (a) : Equity securities 56 % 60 % Fixed income securities 30 % 30 % Total assets 100 % 100 % (a) Pooled separate accounts (“PSAs”) and common collective trust funds (“CCTs”) are two of the most common types of alternative vehicles in which benefit plans invest. These investments are pooled funds that look like mutual funds, but they are not registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Often times, they will be invested in mutual funds or other marketable securities, but the unit price generally will be different from the value of the underlying securities because the fund may also hold cash for liquidity purposes, and the fees imposed by the fund are deducted from the fund value rather than charged separately to investors. Some PSAs and CCTs have no restrictions as to their investment strategy and can invest in riskier investments, such as derivatives, hedge funds, private equity funds, or similar investments.
Schedule of Fair Value Assumptions of Plan Assets	The fair value measurements of plan assets fell into the following levels of the fair value hierarchy as of December 31, 2017 and December 25, 2016 : 2017 2016(a) Level 1 (a) Level 2 (b) Level 3 (c) Total Level 1 (a) Level 2 (b) Level 3 (c) Total (In thousands) Cash and cash equivalents $ 6,128 $ — $ — $ 6,128 $ 119 $ — $ — $ 119 Pooled separate accounts: Large U.S. equity funds (d) — 3,483 — 3,483 — 3,302 — 3,302 Small/Mid U.S. equity funds (e) — 420 — 420 — 406 — 406 International equity funds (f) — 1,665 — 1,665 — 1,231 — 1,231 Fixed income funds (g) — 4,799 — 4,799 — 4,867 — 4,867 Common collective trusts funds: Large U.S. equity funds (d) — 22,695 — 22,695 — 24,547 — 24,547 Small/Mid U.S. equity funds (e) — 20,592 — 20,592 — 17,344 — 17,344 International equity funds (f) — 19,923 — 19,923 — 17,006 — 17,006 Fixed income funds (g) — 32,865 — 32,865 — 28,704 — 28,704 Total assets $ 6,128 $ 106,442 $ — $ 112,570 $ 119 $ 97,407 $ — $ 97,526 (a) Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets are used to determine fair value. (b) Quoted prices in active markets for similar assets and inputs that are observable for the asset are used to determine fair value. (c) Unobservable inputs, such as discounted cash flow models or valuations, are used to determine fair value. (d) This category is comprised of investment options that invest in stocks, or shares of ownership, in large, well-established U.S. companies. These investment options typically carry more risk than fixed income options but have the potential for higher returns over longer time periods. (e) This category is generally comprised of investment options that invest in stocks, or shares of ownership, in small to medium-sized U.S. companies. These investment options typically carry more risk than larger U.S. equity investment options but have the potential for higher returns. (f) This category is comprised of investment options that invest in stocks, or shares of ownership, in companies with their principal place of business or office outside of the U.S. (g) This category is comprised of investment options that invest in bonds, or debt of a company or government entity (including U.S. and non-U.S. entities). It may also include real estate investment options that directly own property. These investment options typically carry more risk than short-term fixed income investment options (including, for real estate investment options, liquidity risk), but less overall risk than equities.
Schedule of Benefit Payments	The following table reflects the benefits as of December 31, 2017 expected to be paid in each of the next five years and in the aggregate for the five years thereafter from our pension and other postretirement plans. Because our pension plans are primarily funded plans, the anticipated benefits with respect to these plans will come primarily from the trusts established for these plans. Because our other postretirement plans are unfunded, the anticipated benefits with respect to these plans will come from our own assets. Pension Benefits Other Benefits (In thousands) 2018 $ 18,368 $ 148 2019 11,889 148 2020 11,687 146 2021 11,337 143 2022 11,160 139 2023-2027 50,628 611 Total $ 115,069 $ 1,335
Schedule of Unrecognized Benefit Amounts	The amounts in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) that were not recognized as components of net periodic benefits cost and the changes in those amounts are as follows: Pension Benefits Other Benefits 2017 2016 2015 2017 2016 2015 (In thousands) Net actuarial loss (gain), beginning of year $ 46,494 $ 38,115 $ 43,907 $ (31 ) $ (79 ) $ (127 ) Amortization (932 ) (659 ) (714 ) — — — Settlement adjustments — (2,064 ) (3,843 ) (2 ) 2 4 Actuarial loss (gain) 15,745 10,305 (10,944 ) 68 46 44 Asset loss (gain) (7,072 ) 797 9,709 — — — Net actuarial loss (gain), end of year $ 54,235 $ 46,494 $ 38,115 $ 35 $ (31 ) $ (79 )

STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (Tables)

STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Equity [Abstract]
Schedule of Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss	The following tables provide information regarding the changes in accumulated other comprehensive loss during 2017 and 2016 : 2017 (a) Losses Related to Foreign Currency Translation Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Derivative Financial Instruments Classified as Cash Flow Hedges Losses Related to Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Unrealized Holding Gains on Available-for-Sale Securities Total (In thousands) Balance, beginning of year $ (265,714 ) $ 99 $ (64,243 ) $ — $ (329,858 ) Granite Holdings Sàrl common-control transaction 204,577 (1,368 ) — — 203,209 Other comprehensive income (loss) 103,218 60 (7,770 ) 82 95,590 Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss to net income — (639 ) 579 (21 ) (81 ) Net current year other comprehensive income (loss) 103,218 (579 ) (7,191 ) 61 95,509 Balance, end of year $ 42,081 $ (1,848 ) $ (71,434 ) $ 61 $ (31,140 ) 2016(a) Losses Related to Foreign Currency Translation Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Derivative Financial Instruments Classified as Cash Flow Hedges Losses Related to Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Unrealized Holding Gains on Available-for-Sale Securities Total (In thousands) Balance, beginning of year $ (32,482 ) $ (61 ) $ (58,997 ) $ 67 $ (91,473 ) Other comprehensive income (loss) (233,232 ) (151 ) (5,657 ) 277 (238,763 ) Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss to net income — 311 411 (344 ) 378 Net current year other comprehensive income (loss) (233,232 ) 160 (5,246 ) (67 ) (238,385 ) Balance, end of year $ (265,714 ) $ 99 $ (64,243 ) $ — $ (329,858 ) (a) All amounts are net of tax. Amounts in parentheses indicate debits.
Schedule of Reclassification from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss	Details about Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss Components Amount Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss(a) Affected Line Item in the Consolidated and Combined Statements of Operations 2017 2016 (In thousands) Realized gain (loss) on settlement of derivative financial instruments classified as cash flow hedges $ 639 $ (311 ) Cost of sales Realized gain on sale of securities 34 552 Interest income Amortization of pension and other Union employees pension plan (b) (24 ) (20 ) (d) Cost of goods sold Legacy Gold Kist plans (c) (283 ) (199 ) (d) Cost of goods sold Legacy Gold Kist plans (c) (625 ) (440 ) (d) Selling, general and administrative expense Total before tax (259 ) (418 ) Tax benefit 340 40 Total reclassification for the period $ 81 (378 ) (a) Amounts in parentheses represent debits to results of operations. (b) The Company sponsors the Union Plan, a qualified defined benefit pension plan covering certain locations or work groups with collective bargaining agreements. (c) The Company sponsors the GK Pension Plan, a qualified defined benefit pension plan covering certain eligible U.S. employees who were employed at locations that the Company purchased through its acquisition of Gold Kist in 2007, the SERP Plan, a nonqualified defined benefit retirement plan covering certain former Gold Kist executives, the Directors’ Emeriti Plan, a nonqualified defined benefit retirement plan covering certain former Gold Kist directors and the Retiree Life Plan, a defined benefit postretirement life insurance plan covering certain retired Gold Kist employees (collectively, the “Legacy Gold Kist Plans”). (d) These accumulated other comprehensive loss components are included in the computation of net periodic pension cost. See “Note 13. Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits” to the Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements.

INCENTIVE COMPENSATION (Tables)

INCENTIVE COMPENSATION (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]
Schedule of Awards	The following awards were outstanding during 2017 : Award Type Benefit Plan Awards Granted Grant Date Grant Date Fair Value per Award (a) Vesting Condition Vesting Date Vesting Date Fair Value per Award (a) Estimated Forfeiture Rate Awards Forfeited to Date Settlement Method RSU LTIP 449,217 02/19/2014 $ 16.70 Service 12/31/2016 $ 18.99 13.49 % 86,458 Stock RSU LTIP 223,701 03/03/2014 17.18 Performance / Service 12/31/2017 31.06 12.34 % 53,363 Stock RSU (b) LTIP 45,961 02/11/2015 25.87 Service 12/31/2017 31.06 12.34 % 10,965 Stock RSU LTIP 251,136 03/30/2016 25.36 Performance / Service 12/31/2019 — % 251,136 (d) Stock RSU (b) LTIP 74,535 10/13/2016 20.93 Service 12/31/2016 18.99 13.49 % — Stock RSU LTIP 389,424 01/19/2017 18.38 Performance / Service (e) — % — Stock RSU (c) LTIP 48,586 02/13/2017 20.52 Service 12/31/2016 18.99 — % — Stock RSU (c) LTIP 23,469 02/13/2017 20.52 Service 12/31/2017 31.06 — % 652 Stock (a) The fair value of each RSU granted or vested represents the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the respective grant date or vesting date. (b) On February 17, 2015, the Company paid a special cash dividend to stockholders of record as of January 30, 2015 totaling $5.77 per share. On January 27, 2015, the Compensation Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors agreed to grant Dividend Equivalent Rights (“DERs”) in the form of RSUs to reflect an additional $5.77 in value for each outstanding RSU. (c) On May 18, 2016, the Company paid a special cash dividend to stockholders of record as of May 10, 2015 totaling $2.75 per share. On October 27, 2016, the Compensation Committee of the Company's Board of Directors agreed to grant additional RSUs to LTIP participants that were equal to the amount of the dividend that would be awarded to them had their RSUs existing as of the dividend record date been vested. The additional RSUs that were granted to the LTIP participants are subject to the same vesting requirements as the underlying RSUs granted under the LTIP. (d) Performance conditions associated with these awards were not satisfied. Therefore, 100% of the awards were forfeited. (e) The subject RSUs will vest in ratable tranches on December 31, 2018, December 31, 2019, and December 31, 2020
Schedule of Compensation Cost and Income Tax Benefit	Compensation costs and the income tax benefit recognized for our share-based compensation arrangements are included below: 2017 2016 2015 (In thousands) Share-based compensation cost: Cost of goods sold $ 256 $ 770 $ 596 Selling, general and administrative expenses 2,763 5,332 2,379 Total $ 3,019 $ 6,102 $ 2,975 Income tax benefit $ 1,006 $ 1,858 $ 868
Schedule of RSA and RSU Activity	The Company’s RSA and RSU activity is included below: 2017 2016 2015 Number Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value Number Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value Number Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value (In thousands, except weighted average fair values) RSAs: Outstanding at beginning of year — $ — — $ — 30 $ 8.72 Granted — — — — — — Vested — — — — — — Forfeited — — — — (30 ) 8.72 Outstanding at end of year — $ — — $ — — $ — RSUs: Outstanding at beginning of year 906 $ 20.00 774 $ 18.78 1,120 $ 11.97 Granted 461 18.72 325 24.35 428 21.00 Vested (714 ) 18.09 — — (671 ) 8.81 Forfeited (264 ) 25.33 (193 ) 24.51 (103 ) 18.90 Outstanding at end of year 389 $ 18.39 906 $ 20.00 774 $ 18.78

RESTRUCTURING-RELATED ACTIVIT47

RESTRUCTURING-RELATED ACTIVITIES (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract]
Restructuring and Related Costs	The following table provides a summary of our estimates of costs associated with this restructuring initiative by major type of cost: Type of Cost Total Estimated Amount Expected to be Incurred (In thousands) Employee termination benefits $ 4,074 Inventory impairments 699 Other (1) 1,983 $ 6,756 (1) Comprised of other costs directly related to the restructuring initiative, including prepaid software impairment, St. Cloud, Minnesota office lease costs, and Luverne, Minnesota plant closure costs. During 2017, the Company recognized the following costs and incurred the following cash outlays related to this restructuring initiative: Expenses Cash Outlays (In thousands) Employee termination benefits $ 3,381 $ 2,581 Inventory impairments 699 — Other 752 — $ 4,832 $ 2,581
Schedule of Restructuring Reserve	The following table is a rollforward of our liabilities and reserves associated with this restructuring initiative. Ending liability balances for employee termination benefits and other charges are reported in the line item Accrued expenses and other current liabilities in our Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheets. The ending reserve balance for inventory impairments is reported in the line item Inventories in our Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheets. Employee Termination Benefits Inventory Other Total (In thousands) Restructuring charges $ 3,381 $ 699 $ 752 $ 4,832 Payments (2,581 ) — — (2,581 ) Ending liability or reserve $ 800 $ 699 $ 752 $ 2,251

RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS (Tab

RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]
Schedule of Related Party Transactions	Pilgrim's has been and, in some cases, continues to be a party to certain transactions with affiliated companies. 2017 2016 2015 (In thousands) Sales to related parties: JBS USA Food Company (c) $ 15,289 $ 16,534 $ 21,743 JBS Five Rivers 31,004 14,126 — JBS Global (UK) Ltd. 44 122 305 JBS Chile Ltda. 178 615 100 J&F Investimentos Ltd. 104 69 — JBS S.A. — — — Seara International Ltd. 104 4 — JBS Toledo — 143 — Rigamonti Salumificio S.P.A. — 3 — Total sales to related parties $ 46,723 $ 31,616 $ 22,148 Cost of goods purchased from related parties: JBS USA Food Company (c) $ 101,685 $ 139,476 $ 103,542 Seara Meats B.V. 13,949 21,038 3,381 JBS S.A. — — — Seara International Ltd. 11,236 2,746 2,784 JBS Toledo 231 123 — Macedo Agroindustrial Ltda. — — 60 Rigamonti Salumificio S.P.A. — 15 — Total cost of goods purchased from related parties $ 127,101 $ 163,398 $ 109,767 Expenditures paid by related parties: JBS USA Food Company (d) $ 40,313 $ 40,519 $ 40,611 JBS S.A. 3,777 8,125 — Seara Alimentos 64 — — Total expenditures paid by related parties $ 44,154 $ 48,644 $ 40,611 Expenditures paid on behalf of related parties: JBS USA Food Company (d) $ 5,376 $ 10,586 $ 3,998 JBS Toledo — — — JBS S.A. 5 86 29 Seara International Ltd. — 72 29 Seara Meats B.V. 12 — — Rigamonti Salumificio S.P.A. — 3 — Total expenditures paid on behalf of related parties $ 5,393 $ 10,747 $ 4,056 Other related party transactions: Letter of credit fees (a) $ — $ 202 $ 1,268 Capital contribution under tax sharing agreement (b) 5,558 5,038 3,690 Total other related party transactions $ 5,558 $ 5,240 $ 4,958 2017 2016 (In thousands) Accounts receivable from related parties: JBS USA Food Company (c) $ 2,826 $ 3,754 JBS Chile Ltda. 108 159 JBS S.A. — 46 Seara International Ltd. 15 51 Seara Meats B.V. 2 — Total accounts receivable from related parties $ 2,951 $ 4,010 Accounts payable to related parties: JBS USA Food Company (c) $ 440 $ 1,421 Seara Meats B.V. 2,410 3,026 JBS Toledo 39 21 Total accounts payable to related parties $ 2,889 $ 4,468 (a) JBS USA Food Company Holdings (“JBS USA Holdings”) arranged for letters of credit to be issued on its account in the aggregate amount of $56.5 million to an insurance company on our behalf in order to allow that insurance company to return cash it held as collateral against potential workers’ compensation, auto liability and general liability claims. In return for providing this letter of credit, the Company has agreed to reimburse JBS USA Holdings for the letter of credit fees the Company would otherwise incur under its U.S. Credit Facility. The letter of credit arrangements for $40.0 million and $16.5 million were terminated on March 7, 2016 and April 1, 2016, respectively. During 2016, the Company paid JBS USA Holdings $0.2 million for letter of credit fees. (b) The Company entered into a tax sharing agreement during 2014 with JBS USA Holdings effective for tax years starting 2010. The net tax receivable for tax year 2017 was accrued in 2017 and will be paid in 2018. The net tax receivable for tax year 2016 was accrued in 2016 and paid in January 2017. The net tax receivable for tax year 2015 was accrued in 2015 and paid in January 2016. The net tax receivable for tax years 2010 through 2014 was accrued in 2014 and paid in January 2015. (c) We routinely execute transactions to both purchase products from JBS USA Food Company (“JBS USA”) and sell products to them. As of December 31, 2017 and December 25, 2016, the outstanding payable to JBS USA was $0.4 million and $1.4 million , respectively. As of December 31, 2017 and December 25, 2016, the outstanding receivable from JBS USA was $2.8 million and $3.8 million , respectively. As of December 31, 2017 , approximately $1.7 million of goods from JBS USA were in transit and not reflected on our Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheet. (d) The Company has an agreement with JBS USA to allocate costs associated with JBS USA’s procurement of SAP licenses and maintenance services for both companies. Under this agreement, the fees associated with procuring SAP licenses and maintenance services are allocated between the Company and JBS USA in proportion to the percentage of licenses used by each company. The agreement expires on the date of expiration, or earlier termination, of the underlying SAP license agreement. The Company also has an agreement with JBS USA to allocate the costs of supporting the business operations by one consolidated corporate team, which have historically been supported by their respective corporate teams. Expenditures paid by JBS USA on behalf of the Company will be reimbursed by the Company and expenditures paid by the Company on behalf of JBS USA will be reimbursed by JBS USA. This agreement expires on December 31, 2019.

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Future Minimum Payments	The Company’s future minimum lease commitments under noncancelable operating leases are as follows (in thousands): 2018 $ 54,961 2019 47,007 2020 37,043 2021 31,219 2022 26,332 Thereafter 38,206 Total $ 234,768

BUSINESS SEGMENT AND GEOGRAPH50

BUSINESS SEGMENT AND GEOGRAPHIC REPORTING (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Schedule of Net Sales, Operating Income and Long-lived Assets	Net sales to customers by customer location and long-lived assets are as follows: December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 December 28, 2015 (In thousands) Net sales United States $ 7,443,222 $ 6,671,403 $ 7,143,354 U.K. and Europe 1,996,319 1,947,441 572,568 Mexico 1,328,322 1,259,720 1,036,750 Total $ 10,767,863 $ 9,878,564 $ 8,752,672 December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 December 28, 2015 (In thousands) Operating income United States $ 841,492 $ 572,558 $ 949,610 U.K. and Europe 77,105 78,572 16,241 Mexico 153,631 140,857 95,186 Elimination 94 95 95 Total operating income $ 1,072,322 $ 792,082 $ 1,061,132 Interest expense, net of capitalized interest 107,183 75,636 46,549 Interest income (7,730 ) (2,301 ) (3,828 ) Foreign currency transaction gain (2,659 ) 4,055 26,148 Miscellaneous, net (6,538 ) (9,344 ) (9,061 ) Income before income taxes $ 982,066 $ 724,036 $ 1,001,324 December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 December 28, 2015 (In thousands) Net sales to customers by customer location: United States $ 7,452,758 $ 6,460,787 $ 6,722,455 Mexico 1,019,170 1,180,947 1,116,455 Asia 136,144 101,209 120,724 Canada, Caribbean and Central America 114,543 152,516 176,396 Africa 29,905 17,117 16,493 Europe 2,000,843 1,952,192 584,651 South America 13,279 11,955 12,114 Pacific 1,221 1,841 3,384 Total $ 10,767,863 $ 9,878,564 $ 8,752,672 December 31, 2017 December 25, 2016 (In thousands) Long-lived assets (a) : United States $ 1,437,220 $ 1,220,263 U.K. and Europe 368,521 328,045 Mexico 289,406 285,677 Total $ 2,095,147 $ 1,833,985 (a) For this disclosure, we exclude financial instruments, deferred tax assets and intangible assets in accordance with ASC 280-10-50-41, Segment Reporting . Long-lived assets, as used in ASC 280-10-50-41, implies hard assets that cannot be readily removed.
Schedule of Sales by Product Lines	The following table sets forth, for the periods beginning with 2015 , net sales attributable to each of our primary product lines and markets served with those products. We based the table on our internal sales reports and their classification of product types. 2017 2016 2015 (In thousands) U.S. chicken: Fresh chicken $ 5,700,503 $ 4,627,137 $ 4,701,943 Prepared chicken 950,378 1,269,010 1,672,693 Export and other chicken 213,595 313,827 358,877 Total U.S. chicken 6,864,476 6,209,974 6,733,513 U.K. and Europe chicken: Fresh chicken 846,575 811,127 240,815 Prepared chicken 792,284 794,880 241,589 Export and other chicken 318,699 283,276 67,903 Total U.K. and Europe chicken 1,957,558 1,889,283 550,307 Mexico chicken 1,303,656 1,245,644 1,016,200 Total chicken 10,125,690 9,344,901 8,300,020 Other products: U.S. 578,746 461,429 409,841 U.K. and Europe 38,761 58,158 22,261 Mexico 24,666 14,076 20,550 Total other products 642,173 533,663 452,652 Total net sales $ 10,767,863 $ 9,878,564 $ 8,752,672

QUARTERLY RESULTS (UNAUDITED)51

QUARTERLY RESULTS (UNAUDITED) (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Quarterly Results	2017 First (a) Second (b) Third (c) Fourth (d) Year (In thousands, except per share data) Net sales $ 2,479,340 $ 2,752,286 $ 2,793,885 $ 2,742,352 $ 10,767,863 Gross profit 256,388 474,838 478,584 261,804 1,471,614 Net income attributable to PPC common stockholders 93,921 233,641 232,680 134,337 694,579 Net income per share amounts - basic 0.38 0.94 0.94 0.54 2.79 Net income per share amounts - diluted 0.38 0.94 0.93 0.54 2.79 Number of days in period 91 91 91 98 371 2016 First Second Third Fourth (e) Year (In thousands, except per share data) Net sales $ 2,460,410 $ 2,551,990 $ 2,495,281 $ 2,370,883 $ 9,878,564 Gross profit (loss) 284,257 337,796 253,060 228,870 1,103,983 Net income attributable to PPC 118,371 152,886 98,657 70,618 440,532 Net income per share amounts - 0.46 0.60 0.39 0.29 1.74 Net income per share amounts - 0.46 0.60 0.39 0.28 1.73 Number of days in period 91 91 91 91 364 2015 First Second (f) Third (g) Fourth (g) Year (In thousands, except per share data) Net sales $ 2,052,919 $ 2,053,876 $ 2,112,529 $ 2,533,348 $ 8,752,672 Gross profit 377,120 432,020 284,544 205,040 1,298,724 Net income attributable to PPC 204,215 241,489 137,062 63,148 645,914 Net income per share amounts - 0.79 0.93 0.53 0.25 2.50 Net income per share amounts - 0.79 0.93 0.53 0.25 2.50 Number of days in period 91 91 91 91 364 (a) In the first quarter of 2017, the company had transaction costs of approximately $0.6 million for the acquisition of GNP. (b) In the second quarter of 2017, the company recognized impairment charges of approximately $3.5 million related to our Athens, Alabama plant held for sale. (c) In the third quarter of 2017, the company had transaction costs of approximately $15 million for the acquisition of Moy Park. (d) In the fourth quarter of 2017, the company had transaction costs of approximately $4.5 million for the acquisition of Moy Park. (e) In the fourth quarter of 2016, the company recognized impairment charges of $0.8 million and $0.3 million related to our Dallas, Texas and Bossier City, Louisiana plants held for sale. (f) In the second quarter of 2015, the Company recognized impairment charges of $4.8 million related to our Dallas, Texas and Bossier City, Louisiana plants held for sale. (g) On June 29, 2015, the Company acquired, indirectly through certain of its Mexican subsidiaries, 100% of the equity of Tyson Mexico from Tyson Foods, Inc. and certain of its subsidiaries. The results of operations of the acquired business since June 29, 2015 are included in the Company’s Consolidated and Combined Statements of Operations. Net sales generated by the acquired business during the third and fourth quarters of 2015 were $128.9 million and $121.7 million , respectively. The acquired business incurred net losses of $2.9 million and $10.8 million during the third and fourth quarters of 2015, respectively.

BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNI52

BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Details) bird / WK in Millions, lb in Billions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)employeebird / WKstategrowercountrylb	Dec. 25, 2016USD ($)	Dec. 27, 2015USD ($)	Sep. 08, 2017bird / WK
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Number of countries to which the company exports products | country	100
Number of states in which entity operates | state	14
Number of employees | employee	51,300
Maximum processing capacity, more than (number of birds per week) | bird / WK	45.2
Number of pounds of live chicken processed annually, more than | lb	13.3
Number of contract growers that supply poultry | grower	5,200
Ownership percentage	78.60%
Advertising costs	$ 18,500,000	$ 12,300,000	$ 5,800,000
Research and development costs	3,700,000	3,500,000	$ 4,100,000
Impairment of goodwill	0
Impairment of intangible assets	0	$ 0
Accumulated other comprehensive loss, foreign currency remeasurement adjustment	$ 13,500,000
Non-compete agreement
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Intangible assets, estimated useful life	3 years
Minimum
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated closing costs, percent of asset fair value	4.00%
Minimum | Trade names
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Intangible assets, estimated useful life	3 years
Minimum | Non-compete agreement
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Intangible assets, estimated useful life	3 years
Minimum | Customer relationships
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Intangible assets, estimated useful life	5 years
Minimum | Building
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, estimated useful life	5 years
Minimum | Machinery and equipment
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, estimated useful life	5 years
Minimum | Automobiles and trucks
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, estimated useful life	3 years
Maximum
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated closing costs, percent of asset fair value	6.00%
Maximum | Trade names
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Intangible assets, estimated useful life	20 years
Maximum | Non-compete agreement
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Intangible assets, estimated useful life	20 years
Maximum | Customer relationships
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Intangible assets, estimated useful life	16 years
Maximum | Building
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, estimated useful life	33 years
Maximum | Machinery and equipment
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, estimated useful life	33 years
Maximum | Automobiles and trucks
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, estimated useful life	10 years
Moy Park
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Number of employees | employee	10,200
Maximum processing capacity, more than (number of birds per week) | bird / WK				6
Percentage of equity acquired				100.00%

BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS (Narrativ

BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS (Narrative) (Details) $ in Thousands, lb in Millions, bird / WK in Millions	Sep. 08, 2017USD ($)bird / WKlbhatcherymillplant	Jan. 06, 2017USD ($)employeebird / WKplant	Jun. 29, 2015USD ($)employeebird / WKtrade_namedistribution_centerplant	Dec. 25, 2016USD ($)	Sep. 25, 2016USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)employeebird / WK	Dec. 25, 2016USD ($)	Sep. 24, 2017USD ($)	Mar. 26, 2017USD ($)
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Maximum processing capacity of employees per week (in birds per week) | bird / WK						45.2
Number of employees of acquiree (more than) | employee						51,300
Additions						$ 131,120	$ 0
Trade names
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Additions						38,200	0
Customer relationships
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Additions						$ 92,900	0
Moy Park
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Percentage of equity acquired	100.00%
Cash consideration	$ 301,300
Note payable for consideration transferred	$ 562,500
Fresh processing plants (in plants) | plant	4
Prepared foods cook plants (in plants) | plant	10
Feed mills (in mills) | mill	3
Hatcheries | hatchery	7
Rendering facilities | plant	1
Maximum processing capacity of employees per week (in birds per week) | bird / WK	6
Food prepared annual amount (in tons) | lb	456
Number of employees of acquiree (more than) | employee						10,200
Transaction costs	$ 19,600					$ 4,500		$ 15,000
GNP
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Percentage of equity acquired		100.00%
Cash consideration		$ 350,000
Maximum processing capacity of employees per week (in birds per week) | bird / WK		2.1
Number of employees of acquiree (more than) | employee		1,500
Transaction costs		$ 600							$ 600
Processing plants acquired (in plants) | plant		2
Net sales of acquiree since acquisition date						433,900
Net income (loss) of acquiree since acquisition date						30,400
Additions		$ 131,120
GNP | Trade names
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangible assets acquired royalty rate used in determination of fair value		2.00%
Finite-lived intangible assets acquired, net sales growth rate used in determination of fair value		2.50%
Finite-lived intangible assets acquired, income tax rate used in determination of fair value		39.30%
Finite-lived intangible assets acquired, income tax amortization benefit factor used in determination of fair value		1.2098
Finite-lived Intangible Assets Acquired, Fair Value Inputs, Royalty Saved Rate		13.80%
Additions		$ 38,200
GNP | Customer relationships
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangible assets acquired, net sales growth rate used in determination of fair value		2.50%
Finite-lived intangible assets acquired, income tax rate used in determination of fair value		39.30%
Finite-lived intangible assets acquired, income tax amortization benefit factor used in determination of fair value		1.2098
Finite-lived Intangible Assets Acquired, Fair Value Inputs, Royalty Saved Rate		13.80%
Finite-lived intangible assets acquired, customer attrition rate used in determination of fair value		4.00%
Additions		$ 92,900
Tyson Mexico
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Percentage of equity acquired			100.00%
Cash consideration			$ 400,000
Maximum processing capacity of employees per week (in birds per week) | bird / WK			2.9
Number of employees of acquiree (more than) | employee			4,400
Processing plants acquired (in plants) | plant			3
Net sales of acquiree since acquisition date				$ 121,700	$ 128,900	141,400	250,600
Net income (loss) of acquiree since acquisition date				$ (10,800)	$ (2,900)	$ 6,300	$ (13,700)
Number of distribution centers acquired | distribution_center			5
Tyson Mexico | Customer relationships
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Finite-lived intangible assets acquired, net sales growth rate used in determination of fair value			4.00%
Finite-lived intangible assets acquired, income tax rate used in determination of fair value			30.00%
Finite-lived intangible assets acquired, customer attrition rate used in determination of fair value			7.90%
Finite-lived intangible assets acquired, income tax amortization benefit rate used in determination of fair value			23.40%
Finite-lived intangible assets acquired, discount rate used in determination of fair value			13.50%
Additions			$ 16,700
Tyson Mexico | Trade names
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Indefinite-lived trade names acquired, number of trade names valued using the income approach | trade_name			2
Indefinite-lived trade names acquired, royalty rate saved used in determination of fair value			1.40%
Indefinite-lived trade names acquired, net sales growth rate used in determination of fair value, terminal year			3.80%
Indefinite-lived trade names acquired, income tax rate used in determination of fair value			30.00%
Indefinite-lived trade names acquired, income tax amortization benefit rate used in determination of fair value			15.00%
Indefinite-lived trade names acquired, discount rate used in determination of fair value			12.00%
Indefinite-lived trade names acquired, fair value			$ 9,700
Tyson Mexico | Trade names | Minimum
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Indefinite-lived trade names acquired, royalty rates used in determination of fair value			4.00%
Indefinite-lived trade names acquired, net sales growth rate used in determination of fair value			3.50%
Tyson Mexico | Trade names | Maximum
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Indefinite-lived trade names acquired, royalty rates used in determination of fair value			5.00%
Indefinite-lived trade names acquired, net sales growth rate used in determination of fair value			4.00%

BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS (Pro Form

BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS (Pro Forma Information) (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	4 Months Ended	8 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 07, 2017	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015
Moy Park
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Net Sales	$ 722,387	$ 1,273,932		$ 1,947,441	$ 572,568
Net Income	$ 34,039	$ 23,486		40,388	17,010
Tyson Mexico
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Net Sales			$ 10,773,662	10,311,325	11,157,328
Net Income			$ 664,776	$ 401,630	$ 631,800
Net income attributable to Pilgrim's Pride Corporation per common share - diluted (in dollars per share)			$ 2.67	$ 1.58	$ 2.44

BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS (Consider

BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS (Consideration Paid) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jan. 06, 2017	Jun. 29, 2015
GNP
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Negotiated sales price	$ 350,000
Working capital adjustment	7,252
Final purchase price	$ 357,252
Tyson Mexico
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Negotiated sales price		$ 400,000
Working capital adjustment		(20,933)
Final purchase price		$ 379,067

BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS (Fair Val

BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS (Fair Values of Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Jan. 06, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015	Jun. 29, 2015
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Goodwill	$ 1,001,889		$ 887,221	$ 1,072,206
GNP
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		$ 10
Trade accounts and other receivables		18,453
Inventories		56,459
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		3,414
Property, plant and equipment		144,138
Identifiable intangible assets		131,120
Other long-lived assets		829
Total assets acquired		354,423
Accounts payable		23,848
Other current liabilities		11,866
Other long-term liabilities		3,393
Total liabilities assumed		39,107
Total identifiable net assets		315,316
Goodwill		41,936
Total net assets		$ 357,252
Tyson Mexico
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents					$ 5,535
Trade accounts and other receivables					24,173
Inventories					68,130
Prepaid expenses and other current assets					7,661
Property, plant and equipment					209,139
Identifiable intangible assets					26,411
Other long-lived assets					199
Total assets acquired					341,248
Accounts payable					21,550
Other current liabilities					8,707
Long-term deferred tax liabilities					52,376
Other long-term liabilities					5,155
Total liabilities assumed					87,788
Total identifiable net assets					253,460
Goodwill			$ 125,607	$ 156,565	125,607
Total net assets					$ 379,067

BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS (Acquired

BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS (Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jan. 06, 2017	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016
Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Total fair value		$ 131,120	$ 0
Customer relationships
Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Total fair value		92,900	0
Trade names
Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Total fair value		38,200	0
Non-compete agreement
Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Total fair value		$ 20	$ 0
GNP
Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Total fair value	$ 131,120
Weighted average useful life	15 years 2 months 12 days
GNP | Customer relationships
Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Total fair value	$ 92,900
Weighted average useful life	13 years
GNP | Trade names
Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Total fair value	$ 38,200
Weighted average useful life	20 years
GNP | Non-compete agreement
Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Total fair value	$ 20
Weighted average useful life	3 years

BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS (Change i

BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS (Change in Goodwill) (Details) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 25, 2016USD ($)
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Goodwill, beginning of period	$ 1,072,206
Goodwill, end of period	887,221
Tyson Mexico
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Goodwill, beginning of period	156,565
Additional fair value attributed to acquired property, plant and equipment	(51,387)
Goodwill, end of period	125,607
Tyson Mexico | Deferred tax impact related to additional fair value attributed to acquired property, plant and equipment
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Deferred tax impact	15,416
Tyson Mexico | Deferred tax impact related to customer relationship intangibles
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Deferred tax impact	$ 5,013

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (Schedu

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (Schedule of Assets and Liabilities Measured on a Recurring Basis) (Details) - Fair value - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016
Commodity futures instruments
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative assets	$ 301	$ 5,341
Derivative liabilities	(296)	(4,063)
Commodity options instruments
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative assets	421	98
Derivative liabilities	(3,551)	(2,764)
Foreign currency instruments
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative assets	45	516
Derivative liabilities	(211)	(153)
Level 1 | Commodity futures instruments
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative assets	301	5,341
Derivative liabilities	(296)	(4,063)
Level 1 | Commodity options instruments
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative assets	421	98
Derivative liabilities	(3,551)	(2,764)
Level 1 | Foreign currency instruments
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative assets	45	516
Derivative liabilities	(211)	(153)
Level 2 | Commodity futures instruments
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative assets	0	0
Derivative liabilities	0	0
Level 2 | Commodity options instruments
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative assets	0	0
Derivative liabilities	0	0
Level 2 | Foreign currency instruments
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative assets	0	0
Derivative liabilities	0	0
Level 3 | Commodity futures instruments
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative assets	0	0
Derivative liabilities	0	0
Level 3 | Commodity options instruments
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative assets	0	0
Derivative liabilities	0	0
Level 3 | Foreign currency instruments
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative assets	0	0
Derivative liabilities	$ 0	$ 0

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (Sche60

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (Schedule of Carrying Amounts and Estimated Fair Values of Fixed-Rate Debt Obligation) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 29, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Mar. 11, 2015	May 29, 2014
Senior notes | Fixed-rate senior notes payable at 5.75%, at Level 1 inputs
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Stated interest rate	5.75%			5.75%
Senior notes | Fixed-rate senior notes payable at 5.75%, at Level 1 inputs | Level 1 | Carrying Amount
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Fixed-rate debt obligation	$ (750,000)		$ (500,000)
Senior notes | Fixed-rate senior notes payable at 5.75%, at Level 1 inputs | Level 1 | Fair Value
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Fixed-rate debt obligation	$ (774,375)		(503,395)
Senior notes | Senior Notes 5.875% Due 2025 [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Stated interest rate	5.875%
Senior notes | Fixed-rate senior notes payable at 5.875%, at Level 1 inputs
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Stated interest rate	5.875%	5.875%
Senior notes | Fixed-rate senior notes payable at 5.875%, at Level 1 inputs | Level 1 | Carrying Amount
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Fixed-rate debt obligation	$ (604,820)		0
Senior notes | Fixed-rate senior notes payable at 5.875%, at Level 1 inputs | Level 1 | Fair Value
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Fixed-rate debt obligation	$ (619,080)		0
Senior notes | Fixed-rate senior notes payable at 6.25%, at Level 1 inputs
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Stated interest rate	6.25%				6.25%
Senior notes | Fixed-rate senior notes payable at 6.25%, at Level 1 inputs | Level 1 | Carrying Amount
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Fixed-rate debt obligation	$ (403,444)		(369,736)
Senior notes | Fixed-rate senior notes payable at 6.25%, at Level 1 inputs | Level 1 | Fair Value
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Fixed-rate debt obligation	(418,787)		(389,709)
Mortgages | Chattel Mortgages, at Level 3 inputs | Level 3 | Carrying Amount
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Fixed-rate debt obligation	(873)		(1,432)
Mortgages | Chattel Mortgages, at Level 3 inputs | Level 3 | Fair Value
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Fixed-rate debt obligation	$ (855)		$ (1,379)

TRADE ACCOUNTS AND OTHER RECE61

TRADE ACCOUNTS AND OTHER RECEIVABLES (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016
Accounts Receivable, Net [Abstract]
Trade accounts receivable		$ 548,472	$ 435,818
Notes receivable - current		5,130	630
Other receivables		20,021	15,766
Receivables, gross		573,623	452,214
Allowance for doubtful accounts	$ (6,661)	(8,145)	(6,661)
Receivables, net		565,478	445,553
Accounts receivable from related parties(a)		$ 2,951	$ 4,010
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Receivable [Roll Forward]
Balance at December 25, 2016	(6,661)
Provision charged to operating results	(2,700)
Account write-offs and recoveries	1,538
Effect of exchange rate	(322)
Balance at December 31, 2017	$ (8,145)

INVENTORIES (Details)

INVENTORIES (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016
Inventory [Line Items]
Total inventories	$ 1,255,070	$ 975,608
Total chicken inventories
Inventory [Line Items]
Total inventories	1,194,548	908,348
Live chicken and hens
Inventory [Line Items]
Total inventories	585,525	407,475
Feed, eggs and other
Inventory [Line Items]
Total inventories	218,611	257,049
Finished chicken products
Inventory [Line Items]
Total inventories	390,412	243,824
Commercial feed, table eggs and other
Inventory [Line Items]
Total inventories	$ 60,522	$ 67,260

INVESTMENTS IN SECURITIES (Deta

INVESTMENTS IN SECURITIES (Details) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Gross realized gains recognized on available-for-sale securities	$ 400,000	$ 900,000
Gross realized losses recognized on available-for-sale securities	6,500	83,400
Fixed income securities
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Cost	330,456,000	140,480,000
Fair Value	330,456,000	140,480,000
Other
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Cost	942,000	61,000
Fair Value	$ 942,000	$ 61,000

DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUME64

DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015
Derivative [Line Items]
Net gains (losses) on derivative financial instruments	$ 6,700	$ (4,300)	$ 21,600
Deferred net gain on derivatives expected to be reclassified from AOCI to net income over the next 12 months	500
Gains (losses) arising during the period	100,081	$ (233,232)	$ (32,482)
JBS SA
Derivative [Line Items]
Gains (losses) arising during the period	$ (16,700)

DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUME65

DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS (Schedule of Outstanding Derivative Instruments and Cash Collateral) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016
Fair values:
Cash collateral posted with brokers	$ 8,021	$ 4,979
Corn
Derivatives Coverage:
Derivatives Coverage	3.10%	2.30%
Soybean meal
Derivatives Coverage:
Derivatives Coverage	1.70%	0.30%
Commodity
Fair values:
Derivative assets	$ 722	$ 5,439
Derivative liabilities	(3,847)	(6,827)
Foreign currency instruments
Fair values:
Derivative assets	45	516
Derivative liabilities	$ (211)	$ (153)

DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUME66

DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS (Schedule of Cash Flow Hedges Included in AOCI) (Details) - Cash Flow Hedging - Designated as Hedging Instrument - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015
Derivative [Line Items]
Gain (Loss) Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income on Derivative (Effective Portion)	$ (60)	$ 152	$ 55
Net Realized Gain (Loss) Recognized in Income on Derivative (Ineffective Portion)	0	0	0
Gain (Loss) Reclassified from AOCI into Income (Effective Portion)	639	(310)	5
Foreign Exchange Contract
Derivative [Line Items]
Gain (Loss) Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income on Derivative (Effective Portion)	(60)	152	55
Net Realized Gain (Loss) Recognized in Income on Derivative (Ineffective Portion)	0	0	0
Gain (Loss) Reclassified from AOCI into Income (Effective Portion)	$ 639	$ (310)	$ 5

GOODWILL AND IDENTIFIED INTAN67

GOODWILL AND IDENTIFIED INTANGIBLE ASSETS (Schedule of Goodwill by Segment) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Goodwill, beginning of period	$ 887,221	$ 1,072,206
Additions	41,936	(30,958)
Currency Translation	72,732	(154,027)
Goodwill, end of period	1,001,889	887,221
United States
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Goodwill, beginning of period	0	0
Additions	41,936	0
Currency Translation	0	0
Goodwill, end of period	41,936	0
U.K. and Europe
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Goodwill, beginning of period	761,614	915,641
Additions	0	0
Currency Translation	72,732	(154,027)
Goodwill, end of period	834,346	761,614
Mexico
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Goodwill, beginning of period	125,607	156,565
Additions	0	(30,958)
Currency Translation	0	0
Goodwill, end of period	$ 125,607	$ 125,607

GOODWILL AND IDENTIFIED INTAN68

GOODWILL AND IDENTIFIED INTANGIBLE ASSETS (Schedule of Intangible Assets) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015
Finite-lived Intangible Assets [Roll Forward]
Additions	$ 131,120	$ 0
Disposals		0
Indefinite-lived Intangible Assets [Roll Forward]
Currency Translation	34,336	(72,716)
Accumulated Amortization Rollforward [Roll Forward]
Amortization	(26,386)	(18,739)	$ (8,500)
Intangible Assets (Excluding Goodwill) Rollforward [Roll Forward]
December 25, 2016	471,591	578,813
Currency Translation	40,838	(88,483)
December 31, 2017	617,163	471,591	578,813
Trade names
Finite-lived Intangible Assets [Roll Forward]
December 25, 2016	41,369	41,617
Additions	38,200	0
Currency Translation	117	(248)
December 31, 2017	79,686	41,369	41,617
Accumulated Amortization Rollforward [Roll Forward]
December 25, 2016	(37,128)	(35,216)
Amortization	(3,808)	(1,905)
Currency Translation	48	(7)
December 31, 2017	(40,888)	(37,128)	(35,216)
Customer relationships
Finite-lived Intangible Assets [Roll Forward]
December 25, 2016	151,147	168,021
Additions	92,900	0
Currency Translation	7,905	(16,874)
Disposals		0
December 31, 2017	251,952	151,147	168,021
Accumulated Amortization Rollforward [Roll Forward]
December 25, 2016	(53,055)	(37,583)
Amortization	(22,571)	(16,834)
Currency Translation	(1,568)	1,362
Disposals		0
December 31, 2017	(77,194)	(53,055)	(37,583)
Non-compete agreement
Finite-lived Intangible Assets [Roll Forward]
December 25, 2016	300	300
Additions	20	0
Currency Translation	0	0
December 31, 2017	320	300	300
Accumulated Amortization Rollforward [Roll Forward]
December 25, 2016	(300)	(300)
Amortization	(7)	0
Currency Translation	0
December 31, 2017	(307)	(300)	(300)
Trade names
Indefinite-lived Intangible Assets [Roll Forward]
December 25, 2016	369,258	441,974
December 31, 2017	$ 403,594	$ 369,258	$ 441,974

GOODWILL AND IDENTIFIED INTAN69

GOODWILL AND IDENTIFIED INTANGIBLE ASSETS (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Amortization expense	$ 26,386	$ 18,739	$ 8,500
Expected amortization expense, 2018	24,900
Expected amortization expense, 2019	23,500
Expected amortization expense, 2020	19,700
Expected amortization expense, 2021	19,700
Expected amortization expense, 2022	$ 19,700

PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT70

PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT (Schedule of Property, Plant and Equipment) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property, plant and equipment, gross	$ 4,665,472	$ 4,219,546
Accumulated depreciation	(2,570,325)	(2,385,561)
Property, plant and equipment, net	2,095,147	1,833,985
Land
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property, plant and equipment, gross	205,087	150,127
Buildings
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property, plant and equipment, gross	1,681,610	1,487,353
Machinery and equipment
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property, plant and equipment, gross	2,533,522	2,268,526
Autos and trucks
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property, plant and equipment, gross	58,159	58,454
Construction-in-progress
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property, plant and equipment, gross	$ 187,094	$ 255,086

PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT71

PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Jun. 25, 2017	Jun. 28, 2015	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Depreciation expense			$ 245,400	$ 210,500	$ 161,700
Expenditures for capital projects			339,872	340,960	190,262
Completed projects transferred from construction-in-progress to depreciable assets			411,800	269,600
Proceeds from property disposals			4,475	13,375	$ 14,610
Gain (loss) on property disposals			500	8,900
Assets held for sale			708	$ 5,259
Impairment charges, assets held for sale		$ 4,800
Discontinued Operations, Held-for-sale | Alabama Processing Plant
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Impairment charges, assets held for sale	$ 3,500		3,500
Discontinued Operations, Held-for-sale | Dublin Processing Plant
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Impairment charges, assets held for sale			1,500
United States
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Idled assets property, plant and equipment, net			48,600
Idled asset property, plant and equipment gross			166,700
Idled asset accumulated depreciation			118,100
U.K. and Europe
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Idled assets property, plant and equipment, net			2,900
Idled asset property, plant and equipment gross			11,400
Idled asset accumulated depreciation			$ 8,500

CURRENT LIABILITIES (Details)

CURRENT LIABILITIES (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016
Accounts payable:
Trade accounts	$ 691,176	$ 722,495
Book overdrafts	56,022	63,577
Other payables	15,246	4,306
Total accounts payable	762,444	790,378
Accounts payable to related parties(a)	2,889	4,468
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities:
Compensation and benefits	181,678	160,591
Interest and debt-related fees	29,750	10,907
Insurance and self-insured claims	79,911	82,544
Derivative liabilities:
Other accrued expenses	121,944	85,999
Total accrued expenses and other current liabilities	417,341	347,021
Total current liabilities	1,182,674	1,141,867
Commodity futures
Derivative liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	296	4,063
Commodity options
Derivative liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	3,551	2,764
Foreign currency derivatives
Derivative liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	$ 211	$ 153

LONG-TERM DEBT AND OTHER BORR73

LONG-TERM DEBT AND OTHER BORROWING ARRANGEMENTS (Schedule of Long-term Debt and Other Borrowing Arrangements) (Details) £ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)	Jan. 29, 2016	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)	Sep. 29, 2017	Sep. 24, 2017USD ($)	Sep. 08, 2017GBP (£)	Dec. 25, 2016USD ($)	Mar. 11, 2015	May 29, 2014
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt	$ 2,709,350,000		$ 2,709,350,000				$ 1,429,981,000
Less: Current maturities of long-term debt	(47,775,000)		(47,775,000)				(15,712,000)
Long-term debt, less current maturities	2,661,575,000		2,661,575,000				1,414,269,000
Less: Capitalized financing costs	(25,958,000)		(25,958,000)				(18,145,000)
Long-term debt, less current maturities, net of capitalized financing costs:	$ 2,635,617,000		$ 2,635,617,000				1,396,124,000
Credit facility | Term note payable at 2.61%
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate	2.61%		2.61%
Long-term debt	$ 780,000,000		$ 780,000,000				500,000,000
Credit facility | Revolving note payable at 2.84%
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate	2.84%		2.84%
Long-term debt	$ 73,262,000		$ 73,262,000				0
Credit facility | Mexico Credit Facility (defined below) with notes payable at TIIE rate plus 0.90%
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt	76,307,000		$ 76,307,000				23,304,000
Credit facility | Mexico Credit Facility (defined below) with notes payable at TIIE rate plus 0.90% | TIIE Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable interest rate			0.90%
Credit facility | Moy Park Multicurrency Revolving Facility with notes payable at LIBOR rate plus 2.5%
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt	$ 9,590,000		$ 9,590,000				11,985,000
Credit facility | Moy Park Multicurrency Revolving Facility with notes payable at LIBOR rate plus 2.5% | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable interest rate	2.17%		2.50%
Credit facility | Moy Park Receivables Finance Agreement with payables at LIBOR plus 1.5%
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt	$ 0		$ 0				0
Credit facility | Moy Park Receivables Finance Agreement with payables at LIBOR plus 1.5% | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable interest rate			1.50%
Credit facility | Moy Park France Invoice Discounting Revolver with payables at EURIBOR plus 0.8%
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt	$ 1,815,000		$ 1,815,000				8,918,000
Credit facility | Moy Park France Invoice Discounting Revolver with payables at EURIBOR plus 0.8% | EURIBOR Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable interest rate			0.80%
Senior notes | Senior notes payable, net of unaccreted premium at 5.75%
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate	5.75%		5.75%					5.75%
Long-term debt	$ 754,820,000		$ 754,820,000				500,000,000
Senior notes | Senior notes payable at 5.875%
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate	5.875%		5.875%	5.875%
Long-term debt	$ 600,000,000		$ 600,000,000				0
Senior notes | Senior notes payable at 6.25%
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate	6.25%		6.25%						6.25%
Long-term debt	$ 403,444,000		$ 403,444,000				369,736,000
Credit facility | Credit facility | Moy Park Receivables Finance Agreement with payables at LIBOR plus 1.5%
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt					$ 0
Credit facility | Credit facility | Moy Park Receivables Finance Agreement with payables at LIBOR plus 1.5% | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable interest rate		1.50%
Mortgages | Chattels mortgages at weighted average of 3.74%
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Weighted average interest rate	3.74%		3.74%
Long-term debt	$ 873,000		$ 873,000				1,432,000
Subordinated debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt | £						£ 562.5
Subordinated debt | Term Loan Agence L’eau
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt	0		0				6,000
Other long-term debt | Capital lease obligations
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt	$ 9,239,000		$ 9,239,000				$ 14,600,000

LONG-TERM DEBT AND OTHER BORR74

LONG-TERM DEBT AND OTHER BORROWING ARRANGEMENTS (Narrative) (Details)	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)	Sep. 29, 2017USD ($)	Sep. 27, 2016MXN	Jan. 29, 2016GBP (£)	Apr. 22, 2015USD ($)	Mar. 12, 2015USD ($)	Feb. 11, 2015USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2009EUR (€)	Sep. 30, 2016EUR (€)	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)	Nov. 02, 2017GBP (£)	Sep. 24, 2017USD ($)	Sep. 24, 2017EUR (€)	Sep. 08, 2017GBP (£)	May 08, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016USD ($)	Apr. 17, 2015GBP (£)	Mar. 19, 2015USD ($)	Mar. 19, 2015GBP (£)	Mar. 11, 2015USD ($)	May 29, 2014GBP (£)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt outstanding	$ 2,709,350,000									$ 2,709,350,000						$ 1,429,981,000
US Credit Facility | Credit facility | Radobank
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Quarterly principal payment, percent of original principal amount															1.25%
Current borrowing capacity	631,900,000									631,900,000
Letters of credit issued	$ 44,800,000									$ 44,800,000
Revolving note payable at 2.84% | Credit facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate	2.84%									2.84%
Debt outstanding	$ 73,262,000									$ 73,262,000						0
Revolving note payable at 2.84% | Credit facility | Radobank
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Outstanding borrowings	73,300,000									73,300,000
Mexico Credit Facility (defined below) with notes payable at TIIE rate plus 0.90% | Credit facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt outstanding	76,307,000									$ 76,307,000						23,304,000
Mexico Credit Facility (defined below) with notes payable at TIIE rate plus 0.90% | Credit facility | TIIE Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable interest rate										0.90%
Moy Park Multicurrency Revolving Facility with notes payable at LIBOR rate plus 2.5% | Credit facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maximum borrowing capacity	27,000,000									$ 27,000,000									£ 20,000,000
Debt outstanding	$ 9,590,000									$ 9,590,000						11,985,000
Current borrowing capacity																		$ 17,400,000
Moy Park Multicurrency Revolving Facility with notes payable at LIBOR rate plus 2.5% | Credit facility | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable interest rate	2.17%									2.50%
Moy Park Receivables Finance Agreement with payables at LIBOR plus 1.5% | Credit facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt outstanding	$ 0									$ 0						0
Moy Park Receivables Finance Agreement with payables at LIBOR plus 1.5% | Credit facility | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable interest rate										1.50%
Moy Park France Invoice Discounting Revolver with payables at EURIBOR plus 0.8% | Credit facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maximum borrowing capacity	36,000,000									$ 36,000,000
Debt outstanding	1,815,000									1,815,000						8,918,000
Current borrowing capacity	$ 34,200,000									$ 34,200,000
Moy Park France Invoice Discounting Revolver with payables at EURIBOR plus 0.8% | Credit facility | EURIBOR Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable interest rate										0.80%
Moy Park France Invoice Discounting Revolver with payables at EURIBOR plus 0.8% | Receivables finance agreement
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maximum borrowing capacity | €								€ 20,000,000					€ 30,000,000
Increase of line of credit | €									€ 10,000,000
Moy Park France Invoice Discounting Revolver with payables at EURIBOR plus 0.8% | Receivables finance agreement | EURIBOR Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable interest rate								0.80%
Senior notes | Senior notes payable, net of unaccreted premium at 5.75%
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal amount		$ 250,000,000																		$ 500,000,000
Stated interest rate	5.75%									5.75%										5.75%
Add-on issuance percentage of face value		102.00%
Gross amount		$ 255,000,000
Debt premium		5,000,000
Debt outstanding	$ 754,820,000									$ 754,820,000						500,000,000
Senior notes | Senior notes payable at 5.875%
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal amount		$ 600,000,000
Stated interest rate	5.875%	5.875%								5.875%
Debt outstanding	$ 600,000,000									$ 600,000,000						0
Senior notes | Senior notes payable at 6.25%
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal amount | £																	£ 100,000,000				£ 200,000,000
Stated interest rate	6.25%									6.25%											6.25%
Tendered amount | £											£ 1,185,000
Debt outstanding	$ 403,444,000									$ 403,444,000						$ 369,736,000
Credit facility | US Credit Facility | Revolving loan | Radobank
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayment of debt					$ 150,000,000	$ 350,000,000
Maximum borrowing capacity							$ 750,000,000
Feature to increase revolving loan commitment							1,000,000,000
Credit facility, capital expenditures limit							$ 500,000,000
Credit facility | US Credit Facility | Revolving loan | Radobank | US and Puerto Rico Subsidiaries
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Percentage of equity interests securing obligations							100.00%
Credit facility | US Credit Facility | Revolving loan | Radobank | Foreign Subsidiaries
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Percentage of equity interests securing obligations							65.00%
Credit facility | US Credit Facility | Revolving loan | Radobank | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable interest rate							1.50%
Credit facility | US Credit Facility | Revolving loan | Radobank | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) | Minimum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable interest rate							1.25%
Credit facility | US Credit Facility | Revolving loan | Radobank | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) | Maximum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable interest rate							2.75%
Credit facility | US Credit Facility | Revolving loan | Radobank | Alternate base rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable interest rate							0.50%
Credit facility | US Credit Facility | Revolving loan | Radobank | Alternate base rate | Minimum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable interest rate							0.25%
Credit facility | US Credit Facility | Revolving loan | Radobank | Alternate base rate | Maximum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable interest rate							1.75%
Credit facility | US Credit Facility | Term loan | Radobank
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maximum borrowing capacity							$ 800,000,000
Debt outstanding	780,000,000									780,000,000
Credit facility | US Credit Facility | Swingline loans | Radobank
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maximum borrowing capacity							75,000,000
Credit facility | US Credit Facility | Letter of credit | Radobank
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maximum borrowing capacity							$ 125,000,000
Credit facility | Mexico Credit Facility (defined below) with notes payable at TIIE rate plus 0.90% | Revolving loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maximum borrowing capacity	76,300,000		MXN 1,500,000,000							76,300,000
Current borrowing capacity	100,000									100,000
Outstanding borrowings	$ 76,300,000									$ 76,300,000
Credit facility, interest rate at end of period	8.34%									8.34%
Credit facility | Mexico Credit Facility (defined below) with notes payable at TIIE rate plus 0.90% | Revolving loan | TIIE Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable interest rate			0.95%
Credit facility | Moy Park Receivables Finance Agreement with payables at LIBOR plus 1.5% | Credit facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maximum borrowing capacity	$ 60,800,000			£ 45,000,000						$ 60,800,000
Debt outstanding												$ 0
Option to increase borrowing capacity on line of credit	$ 20,300,000			£ 15,000,000						$ 20,300,000
Credit facility | Moy Park Receivables Finance Agreement with payables at LIBOR plus 1.5% | Credit facility | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable interest rate				1.50%
Subordinated debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt outstanding | £														£ 562,500,000
Subordinated debt | JBS S.A. Promissory Note at 0.0% | Debt Instrument, Redemption, Period One
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate														4.00%
Subordinated debt | JBS S.A. Promissory Note at 0.0% | Debt Instrument, Redemption, Period Two
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate														6.00%
Subordinated debt | JBS S.A. Promissory Note at 0.0% | Debt Instrument, Redemption, Period Three
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate														8.00%

INCOME TAXES (Income Before Inc

INCOME TAXES (Income Before Income Taxes by Jurisdiction) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
U.S.	$ 773,160	$ 532,853	$ 920,250
Foreign	208,906	191,183	81,074
Income before income taxes	$ 982,066	$ 724,036	$ 1,001,324

INCOME TAXES (Components of Inc

INCOME TAXES (Components of Income Tax Expense (Benefit) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015
Current:
Federal	$ 213,146	$ 165,989	$ 248,821
Foreign	65,100	62,753	43,640
State and other	35,614	20,211	26,019
Total current	313,860	248,953	318,480
Deferred:
Federal	(19,434)	(3,529)	32,819
Foreign	(34,264)	(2,490)	(19,695)
State and other	3,737	985	6,748
Total deferred	(49,961)	(5,034)	19,872
Income tax expense (benefit)	$ 263,899	$ 243,919	$ 338,352

INCOME TAXES (Narrative) (Detai

INCOME TAXES (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015	Dec. 26, 2010	Dec. 27, 2009
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Effective tax rate, continuing operations	26.90%	34.60%	34.90%
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, income tax benefit	$ 41,500
Decrease in valuation allowance	11,100
Valuation allowance	14,479	$ 25,611
Net operating loss carry forwards					$ 547,700
Claim for refund					$ 169,700
Refunds received from Internal Revenue Service				$ 122,600
Other comprehensive income, tax (benefit) expense	(4,000)	3,200
Tax benefit related to share-based compensation	1,100	0	$ 6,474
Unrecognized tax benefits	11,866	16,813	17,110
Amount of tax benefits that, if recognized, would reduce effective tax rate	6,700
Liability for interest and penalties	7,100
Decrease in accrued interest and penalty amounts related to uncertain tax positions	1,100
Capital contribution under tax sharing agreement	5,038	3,690	0
Accounts receivable from related parties	2,951	4,010
JBS USA Food Company Holding | Tax sharing agreement
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Capital contribution under tax sharing agreement	5,558	$ 5,038	$ 3,690
Accounts receivable from related parties	5,600
United States
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Valuation allowance	500
Foreign Tax Authority
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Net operating loss carry forwards	$ 19,300
Net operating loss carry forwards, expiration date	Jan. 1, 2018
State and Local Jurisdiction
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Net operating loss carry forwards	$ 98,000
Net operating loss carry forwards, expiration date	Jan. 1, 2018
Tax credit carry forwards	$ 2,100
Tax credit carry forwards, expiration date	Jan. 1, 2018
UNITED KINGDOM | Foreign Tax Authority
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Valuation allowance	$ 13,900
Mexico | Foreign Tax Authority
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Valuation allowance	$ 100

INCOME TAXES (Schedule of Incom

INCOME TAXES (Schedule of Income Tax Reconciliation) (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Federal income tax rate	35.00%	35.00%	35.00%
State tax rate, net	2.60%	2.40%	2.30%
Domestic production activity	(1.60%)	(1.30%)	(1.90%)
Difference in U.S. statutory tax rate and foreign country effective tax rate	(1.40%)	(1.40%)	(0.90%)
Rate change	(5.30%)	0.00%	0.00%
Tax credits	(0.50%)	(0.60%)	(0.70%)
Change in reserve for unrecognized tax benefits	(0.70%)	(0.20%)	(0.10%)
Change in valuation allowance	(1.20%)	(0.10%)	0.00%
Other	0.00%	0.80%	1.20%
Total	26.90%	34.60%	34.90%

INCOME TAXES (Schedule of Defer

INCOME TAXES (Schedule of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016
Deferred tax liabilities:
PP&E and identified intangible assets	$ 213,500	$ 242,991
Inventories	57,641	93,114
Insurance claims and losses	29,253	42,186
Business combinations	50,695	47,260
Other	18,519	7,938
Total deferred tax liabilities	369,608	433,489
Deferred tax assets:
Net operating losses	3,276	3,396
Foreign net operating losses	26,934	32,825
Credit carry forwards	2,425	2,080
Allowance for doubtful accounts	1,767	4,274
Accrued liabilities	50,389	57,567
Workers compensation	26,119	38,834
Pension and other postretirement benefits	13,379	21,903
Other	51,306	46,414
Total deferred tax assets	175,595	207,293
Valuation allowance	(14,479)	(25,611)
Net deferred tax assets	161,116	181,682
Net deferred tax liabilities	$ 208,492	$ 251,807

INCOME TAXES (Schedule of Unrec

INCOME TAXES (Schedule of Unrecognized Tax Benefits) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016
Reconciliation of Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Excluding Amounts Pertaining to Examined Tax Returns [Roll Forward]
Unrecognized tax benefits, beginning of year	$ 16,813	$ 17,110
Increase as a result of tax positions taken during the current year	1,163	1,031
Increase as a result of tax positions taken during prior years	60	16
Decrease as a result of tax positions taken during prior years	(892)	(140)
Decrease for lapse in statute of limitations	(4,123)	(1,204)
Decrease relating to settlements with taxing authorities	(1,155)	0
Unrecognized tax benefits, end of year	$ 11,866	$ 16,813

PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREM81

PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS (Narrative) (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)plan	Dec. 25, 2016USD ($)	Dec. 27, 2015USD ($)
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Retirement plan expenses	$ 10,800,000	$ 11,200,000	$ 11,200,000
Accumulated benefit obligation, defined benefit pension plans	$ 178,200,000	167,200,000
Weighted average duration of defined benefit obligation	31 years 7 days
Actuarial loss expected to be recognized in net pension cost throughout 2015	$ 1,200,000
Expenses related to defined contribution plans	$ 9,500,000	$ 8,100,000	$ 5,500,000
Fixed income securities | Pooled separate accounts
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Target plan asset allocations	50.00%
Fixed income securities | Common collective trusts funds
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Target plan asset allocations	30.00%
Equity securities | Pooled separate accounts
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Target plan asset allocations	50.00%
Equity securities | Common collective trusts funds
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Target plan asset allocations	70.00%
Pension Benefits
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Expected contributions during 2015	$ 12,200,000
Pension Benefits | Qualified Plan
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Defined benefit plans, number of plans | plan	2
Pension Benefits | Nonqualified Plan
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Defined benefit plans, number of plans | plan	2
Postretirement Life Insurance Plan
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Defined benefit plans, number of plans | plan	1
Other Benefits
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Impact of 0.25% change in discount rate on projected benefit obligation	$ 1,000
Expected contributions during 2015	$ 100,000
Other Plans | Domestic Plan
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Defined contribution plans, number of plans | plan	2
Maximum annual contribution per employee, percent	30.00%
Maximum annual contribution per employee, amount	$ 245,000
Other Plans | Domestic Plan | Minimum
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Matching contribution, percent of employees' salary	2.00%
Other Plans | Domestic Plan | Maximum
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Matching contribution, percent of employees' salary	6.00%
Other Plans | Mexico
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Defined contribution plans, number of plans | plan	3
Other Plans | U.K. and Europe
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Defined contribution plans, number of plans | plan	2
Salaried Employee | Other Plans | U.K. and Europe
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Maximum annual contribution per employee, percent	3.00%
Salaried Employee | Other Plans | U.K. and Europe | Minimum
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Matching contribution, percent of employees' salary	4.00%
Salaried Employee | Other Plans | U.K. and Europe | Maximum
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Matching contribution, percent of employees' salary	5.50%
Weekly Employee | Other Plans | U.K. and Europe
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Maximum annual contribution per employee, percent	1.00%
Matching contribution, percent of employees' salary	1.00%

PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREM82

PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS (Schedule of Defined Benefit Plan Obligations and Assets) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015	Dec. 28, 2014
Change in plan assets:
Fair value of plan assets, beginning of year	$ 97,526
Fair value of plan assets, end of year	112,570	$ 97,526
Pension Benefits
Change in projected benefit obligation:
Projected benefit obligation, beginning of year	167,159	165,952
Interest cost	5,571	5,585	$ 7,754
Actuarial losses (gains)	15,745	10,305
Benefits paid	(10,228)	(6,098)
Settlements(a)	0	(8,585)
Projected benefit obligation, end of year	178,247	167,159	165,952
Change in plan assets:
Fair value of plan assets, beginning of year	97,526	96,947
Actual return on plan assets	12,325	4,460
Contributions by employer	12,947	10,802
Benefits paid	(10,228)	(6,098)
Settlements	0	(8,585)
Fair value of plan assets, end of year	112,570	97,526	96,947
Funded status:
Unfunded benefit obligation, end of year	(65,677)	(69,633)
Amounts recognized in the Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheets at end of year:
Current liability	(12,168)	(13,113)
Long-term liability	(53,509)	(56,520)
Recognized liability	(65,677)	(69,633)
Amounts recognized in accumulated other comprehensive loss at end of year:
Net actuarial loss (gain)	54,235	46,494	38,115	$ 43,907
Other Benefits
Change in projected benefit obligation:
Projected benefit obligation, beginning of year	1,648	1,672
Interest cost	51	51
Actuarial losses (gains)	68	46
Benefits paid	0	0
Settlements(a)	(164)	(121)
Projected benefit obligation, end of year	1,603	1,648	1,672
Change in plan assets:
Fair value of plan assets, beginning of year	0	0
Actual return on plan assets	0	0
Contributions by employer	164	121
Benefits paid	0	0
Settlements	(164)	(121)
Fair value of plan assets, end of year	0	0	0
Funded status:
Unfunded benefit obligation, end of year	(1,603)	(1,648)
Amounts recognized in the Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheets at end of year:
Current liability	(149)	(147)
Long-term liability	(1,454)	(1,501)
Recognized liability	(1,603)	(1,648)
Amounts recognized in accumulated other comprehensive loss at end of year:
Net actuarial loss (gain)	$ 35	$ (31)	$ (79)	$ (127)

PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREM83

PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS (Schedule of Net Periodic Benefit Cost (Income)) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015
Pension Benefits
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Interest cost	$ 5,571	$ 5,585	$ 7,754
Estimated return on plan assets	(5,254)	(5,256)	(6,684)
Settlement loss (gain)	0	2,064	3,843
Amortization of net loss	932	659	714
Net cost	1,249	3,052	5,627
Other Benefits
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Interest cost	51	51	67
Estimated return on plan assets	0	0	0
Settlement loss (gain)	2	(2)	(4)
Amortization of net loss	0	0	0
Net cost	$ 53	$ 49	$ 63

PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREM84

PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS (Schedule of Economic Assumptions, and Impact of Change in Discount Rate on Benefit Obligation) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015
Net pension and other postretirement cost:
Increase in Discount Rate of 0.25% - impact on defined benefit obligation for pension benefits	$ (5,087)
Decrease in Discount Rate of 0.25% - impact on defined benefit obligation for pension benefits	$ 4,828
Pension Benefits
Benefit obligation:
Discount rate	3.69%	4.31%	4.47%
Net pension and other postretirement cost:
Discount rate	4.32%	4.47%	4.22%
Expected return on plan assets	5.50%	5.50%	5.50%
Other Benefits
Benefit obligation:
Discount rate	3.39%	3.81%	4.47%
Net pension and other postretirement cost:
Discount rate	3.81%	4.47%	4.22%

PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREM85

PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS (Schedule of Plan Asset Allocations) (Details)	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total assets	100.00%	100.00%
Cash and cash equivalents
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total assets	5.00%	0.00%
Equity securities | Pooled separate accounts
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total assets	5.00%	5.00%
Equity securities | Common collective trusts funds
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total assets	56.00%	60.00%
Fixed income securities | Pooled separate accounts
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total assets	4.00%	5.00%
Fixed income securities | Common collective trusts funds
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total assets	30.00%	30.00%

PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREM86

PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS (Schedule of Fair Value Assumptions of Plan Assets) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	$ 112,570	$ 97,526
Level 1
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	6,128	119
Level 2
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	106,442	97,407
Level 3
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	0	0
Cash and cash equivalents
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	6,128	119
Cash and cash equivalents | Level 1
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	6,128	119
Cash and cash equivalents | Level 2
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	0	0
Cash and cash equivalents | Level 3
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	0	0
Large U.S. equity funds | Pooled separate accounts
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	3,483	3,302
Large U.S. equity funds | Pooled separate accounts | Level 1
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	0	0
Large U.S. equity funds | Pooled separate accounts | Level 2
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	3,483	3,302
Large U.S. equity funds | Pooled separate accounts | Level 3
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	0	0
Large U.S. equity funds | Common collective trusts funds
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	22,695	24,547
Large U.S. equity funds | Common collective trusts funds | Level 1
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	0	0
Large U.S. equity funds | Common collective trusts funds | Level 2
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	22,695	24,547
Large U.S. equity funds | Common collective trusts funds | Level 3
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	0	0
Small/Mid U.S. equity funds | Pooled separate accounts
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	420	406
Small/Mid U.S. equity funds | Pooled separate accounts | Level 1
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	0	0
Small/Mid U.S. equity funds | Pooled separate accounts | Level 2
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	420	406
Small/Mid U.S. equity funds | Pooled separate accounts | Level 3
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	0	0
Small/Mid U.S. equity funds | Common collective trusts funds
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	20,592	17,344
Small/Mid U.S. equity funds | Common collective trusts funds | Level 1
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	0	0
Small/Mid U.S. equity funds | Common collective trusts funds | Level 2
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	20,592	17,344
Small/Mid U.S. equity funds | Common collective trusts funds | Level 3
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	0	0
International equity funds | Pooled separate accounts
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	1,665	1,231
International equity funds | Pooled separate accounts | Level 1
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	0	0
International equity funds | Pooled separate accounts | Level 2
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	1,665	1,231
International equity funds | Pooled separate accounts | Level 3
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	0	0
International equity funds | Common collective trusts funds
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	19,923	17,006
International equity funds | Common collective trusts funds | Level 1
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	0	0
International equity funds | Common collective trusts funds | Level 2
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	19,923	17,006
International equity funds | Common collective trusts funds | Level 3
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	0	0
Fixed income funds | Pooled separate accounts
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	4,799	4,867
Fixed income funds | Pooled separate accounts | Level 1
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	0	0
Fixed income funds | Pooled separate accounts | Level 2
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	4,799	4,867
Fixed income funds | Pooled separate accounts | Level 3
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	0	0
Fixed income funds | Common collective trusts funds
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	32,865	28,704
Fixed income funds | Common collective trusts funds | Level 1
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	0	0
Fixed income funds | Common collective trusts funds | Level 2
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	32,865	28,704
Fixed income funds | Common collective trusts funds | Level 3
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	$ 0	$ 0

PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREM87

PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS (Schedule of Benefit Payments) (Details) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)
Pension Benefits
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
2,018	$ 18,368
2,019	11,889
2,020	11,687
2,021	11,337
2,022	11,160
2023-2027	50,628
Total	115,069
Other Benefits
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Line Items]
2,018	148
2,019	148
2,020	146
2,021	143
2,022	139
2023-2027	611
Total	$ 1,335

PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREM88

PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS (Schedule of Unrecognized Benefit Amounts) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015
Pension Benefits
AOCI Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest, Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Net actuarial loss (gain), beginning of year	$ 46,494	$ 38,115	$ 43,907
Amortization	(932)	(659)	(714)
Settlement adjustments	0	(2,064)	(3,843)
Actuarial loss (gain)	15,745	10,305	(10,944)
Asset loss (gain)	(7,072)	797	9,709
Net actuarial loss (gain), end of year	54,235	46,494	38,115
Other Benefits
AOCI Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest, Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Net actuarial loss (gain), beginning of year	(31)	(79)	(127)
Amortization	0	0	0
Settlement adjustments	(2)	2	4
Actuarial loss (gain)	68	46	44
Asset loss (gain)	0	0	0
Net actuarial loss (gain), end of year	$ 35	$ (31)	$ (79)

STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (Schedule

STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (Schedule of Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Balance, beginning of year	$ 2,086,132	$ 2,659,875	$ 2,196,801
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss to net income	81	(378)
Total other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	95,509	(238,385)	(28,932)
Balance, end of year	1,855,661	2,086,132	2,659,875
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Balance, beginning of year	(329,858)	(91,473)	(62,541)
Granite Holdings Sàrl common-control transaction	203,209
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications	95,590	(238,763)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss to net income	(81)	378
Total other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	95,509	(238,385)	(28,932)
Balance, end of year	(31,140)	(329,858)	(91,473)
Losses Related to Foreign Currency Translation
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Balance, beginning of year	(265,714)	(32,482)
Granite Holdings Sàrl common-control transaction	204,577
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications	103,218	(233,232)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss to net income	0	0
Total other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	103,218	(233,232)
Balance, end of year	42,081	(265,714)	(32,482)
Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Derivative Financial Instruments Classified as Cash Flow Hedges
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Balance, beginning of year	99	(61)
Granite Holdings Sàrl common-control transaction	(1,368)
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications	60	(151)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss to net income	(639)	311
Total other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	(579)	160
Balance, end of year	(1,848)	99	(61)
Losses Related to Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Balance, beginning of year	(64,243)	(58,997)
Granite Holdings Sàrl common-control transaction	0
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications	(7,770)	(5,657)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss to net income	579	411
Total other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	(7,191)	(5,246)
Balance, end of year	(71,434)	(64,243)	(58,997)
Unrealized Holding Gains on Available-for-Sale Securities
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Balance, beginning of year	0	67
Granite Holdings Sàrl common-control transaction	0
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications	82	277
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss to net income	(21)	(344)
Total other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	61	(67)
Balance, end of year	$ 61	$ 0	$ 67

STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (Schedul90

STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (Schedule of Reclassification from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015
Amortization of defined benefit pension and other postretirement plan actuarial losses:
Realized gain (loss) on settlement of derivative financial instruments classified as cash flow hedges	$ 639	$ (311)	$ 5
Interest income	7,730	2,301	3,828
Amortization of defined benefit pension and other postretirement plan actuarial losses - cost of goods sold	(9,296,249)	(8,774,581)	(7,453,948)
Amortization of defined benefit pension and other postretirement plan actuarial losses - selling, general and administrative expense	(389,517)	(310,832)	$ (231,838)
Total before tax	(259)	(418)
Tax benefit	340	40
Total reclassification for the period	81	(378)
Amount Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss
Amortization of defined benefit pension and other postretirement plan actuarial losses:
Interest income	34	552
Amount Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss | Union plan
Amortization of defined benefit pension and other postretirement plan actuarial losses:
Amortization of defined benefit pension and other postretirement plan actuarial losses - cost of goods sold	(24)	(20)
Amount Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss | Legacy Gold Kist plans
Amortization of defined benefit pension and other postretirement plan actuarial losses:
Amortization of defined benefit pension and other postretirement plan actuarial losses - cost of goods sold	(283)	(199)
Amortization of defined benefit pension and other postretirement plan actuarial losses - selling, general and administrative expense	$ (625)	$ (440)

STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (Narrative

STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($)	May 18, 2016	Feb. 17, 2015	Jul. 31, 2016	Dec. 25, 2016	Dec. 31, 2017	Feb. 10, 2016	Jul. 28, 2015
Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Share repurchase, authorized amount						$ 300,000,000	$ 150,000,000
Shares repurchased under program (in shares)				10,635,861	11,415,373
Market value of shares repurchased under program				$ 217,117,000	$ 231,758,000
Special cash dividends	$ 700,000,000	$ 1,500,000,000
Special cash dividends paid (in dollars per share)	$ 2.75	$ 5.77
Capital contributions to subsidiary by noncontrolling participants			$ 7,300,000	$ 7,252,000
Consolidation, eliminations
Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Additional capital contributed to subsidiary			$ 2,700,000

INCENTIVE COMPENSATION (Narrati

INCENTIVE COMPENSATION (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) shares in Millions, $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Reserved common stock for future issuance under the LTIP (in shares)	4.8
Total fair value of the shares vested	$ 16.3	$ 0	$ 22.4
Total unrecognized compensation cost related to all nonvested awards	$ 7.2
Weighted average period unrecognized compensation cost is expected to be recognized	2 years 1 month 17 days
Short Term Incentive Plan
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Accrued in costs related to the STIP	$ 44.8
JFC LLC Long-Term Equity Incentive Plan
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Accrued in costs related to the STIP	3.3
Moy Park Incentive Plan
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Accrued in costs related to the STIP	$ 0.6

INCENTIVE COMPENSATION (Schedul

INCENTIVE COMPENSATION (Schedule of Awards) (Details) - $ / shares	May 18, 2016	Feb. 17, 2015	Feb. 25, 2013	Feb. 04, 2013	Dec. 31, 2017
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Special cash dividends paid (in dollars per share)	$ 2.75	$ 5.77
RSU 1
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards Granted (in shares)					449,217
Grant Date Fair Value per Award (in dollars per share)					$ 16.70
Vesting Date Fair Value per Award (in dollars per share)				$ 18.99
Estimated Forfeiture Rate					13.49%
Awards Forfeited to Date (in shares)					86,458
RSU 2
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards Granted (in shares)					223,701
Grant Date Fair Value per Award (in dollars per share)					$ 17.18
Vesting Date Fair Value per Award (in dollars per share)			$ 31.06
Estimated Forfeiture Rate					12.34%
Awards Forfeited to Date (in shares)					53,363
RSU 3
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards Granted (in shares)					45,961
Grant Date Fair Value per Award (in dollars per share)					$ 25.87
Vesting Date Fair Value per Award (in dollars per share)					$ 31.06
Estimated Forfeiture Rate					12.34%
Awards Forfeited to Date (in shares)					10,965
RSU 4
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards Granted (in shares)					251,136
Grant Date Fair Value per Award (in dollars per share)					$ 25.36
Awards Forfeited to Date (in shares)					251,136
Percentage of awards forfeited					100.00%
RSU 5
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards Granted (in shares)					74,535
Grant Date Fair Value per Award (in dollars per share)					$ 20.93
Vesting Date Fair Value per Award (in dollars per share)					$ 18.99
Estimated Forfeiture Rate					13.49%
Awards Forfeited to Date (in shares)					0
RSU 6
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards Granted (in shares)					389,424
Grant Date Fair Value per Award (in dollars per share)					$ 18.38
Estimated Forfeiture Rate					0.00%
Awards Forfeited to Date (in shares)					0
RSU 7
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards Granted (in shares)					48,586
Grant Date Fair Value per Award (in dollars per share)					$ 20.52
Vesting Date Fair Value per Award (in dollars per share)					$ 18.99
Estimated Forfeiture Rate					0.00%
Awards Forfeited to Date (in shares)					0
RSU 8
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards Granted (in shares)					23,469
Grant Date Fair Value per Award (in dollars per share)					$ 20.52
Vesting Date Fair Value per Award (in dollars per share)					$ 31.06
Estimated Forfeiture Rate					0.00%
Awards Forfeited to Date (in shares)					652

INCENTIVE COMPENSATION (Sched94

INCENTIVE COMPENSATION (Schedule of Compensation Cost and Income Tax Benefit) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based compensation cost	$ 3,019	$ 6,102	$ 2,975
Income tax benefit	1,006	1,858	868
Cost of goods sold
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based compensation cost	256	770	596
Selling, general and administrative expenses
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based compensation cost	$ 2,763	$ 5,332	$ 2,379

INCENTIVE COMPENSATION (Sched95

INCENTIVE COMPENSATION (Schedule of Restricted Share and Restricted Stock Unit Activity) (Details) - $ / shares shares in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015
RSAs
Number
Outstanding at beginning of year (in shares)	0	0	30
Granted (in shares)	0	0	0
Vested (in shares)	0	0	0
Forfeited (in shares)	0	0	(30)
Outstanding at end of year (in shares)	0	0	0
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Outstanding at beginning of period (in dollars per share)	$ 0	$ 0	$ 8.72
Granted (in dollars per share)	0	0	0
Vested (in dollars per share)	0	0	0
Forfeited (in dollars per share)	0	0	8.72
Outstanding at end of period (in dollars per share)	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0
RSUs
Number
Outstanding at beginning of year (in shares)	906	774	1,120
Granted (in shares)	461	325	428
Vested (in shares)	(714)	0	(671)
Forfeited (in shares)	(264)	(193)	(103)
Outstanding at end of year (in shares)	389	906	774
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Outstanding at beginning of period (in dollars per share)	$ 20	$ 18.78	$ 11.97
Granted (in dollars per share)	18.72	24.35	21
Vested (in dollars per share)	18.09	0	8.81
Forfeited (in dollars per share)	25.33	24.51	18.90
Outstanding at end of period (in dollars per share)	$ 18.39	$ 20	$ 18.78

RESTRUCTURING-RELATED ACTIVIT96

RESTRUCTURING-RELATED ACTIVITIES (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Jun. 25, 2017	Jun. 28, 2015	Dec. 31, 2017
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Impairment charges, assets held for sale		$ 4,800
GNP Restructuring Plan
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Expected future restructuring costs			$ 6,756
Expected future payments for restructuring			5,400
Discontinued Operations, Held-for-sale | Alabama Processing Plant
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Impairment charges, assets held for sale	$ 3,500		3,500
Discontinued Operations, Held-for-sale | Dublin Processing Plant
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Impairment charges, assets held for sale			$ 1,500

RESTRUCTURING-RELATED ACTIVIT97

RESTRUCTURING-RELATED ACTIVITIES - Schedule of Expected Future Restructuring Costs (Details) - GNP Restructuring Plan $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Expected future restructuring costs	$ 6,756
Employee termination benefits
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Expected future restructuring costs	4,074
Inventory impairments
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Expected future restructuring costs	699
Other
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Expected future restructuring costs	$ 1,983

RESTRUCTURING-RELATED ACTIVIT98

RESTRUCTURING-RELATED ACTIVITIES - Restructuring and Related Costs (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring charges	$ 9,775	$ 1,069	$ 5,754
GNP Restructuring Plan
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring charges	4,832
Cash Outlays	2,581
GNP Restructuring Plan | Employee termination benefits
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring charges	3,381
Cash Outlays	2,581
GNP Restructuring Plan | Inventory impairments
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring charges	699
Cash Outlays	0
GNP Restructuring Plan | Other
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring charges	752
Cash Outlays	$ 0

RESTRUCTURING-RELATED ACTIVIT99

RESTRUCTURING-RELATED ACTIVITIES - Schedule of Restructuring Reserve (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring charges	$ 9,775	$ 1,069	$ 5,754
GNP Restructuring Plan
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring charges	4,832
Cash Outlays	(2,581)
Ending liability or reserve	2,251
GNP Restructuring Plan | Employee termination benefits
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring charges	3,381
Cash Outlays	(2,581)
Ending liability or reserve	800
GNP Restructuring Plan | Inventory impairments
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring charges	699
Cash Outlays	0
Ending liability or reserve	699
GNP Restructuring Plan | Other
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring charges	752
Cash Outlays	0
Ending liability or reserve	$ 752

PUERTO RICO HURRICANE IMPACT (D

PUERTO RICO HURRICANE IMPACT (Details) - Hurricane Maria bird in Millions, $ in Millions	Sep. 20, 2017bird	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)
Unusual or Infrequent Item, or Both [Line Items]
Number of years since last storm of similar magnitude	85 years
Number of birds lost | bird	2.1
Insurance proceeds			$ 5.5
Property and Casualty
Unusual or Infrequent Item, or Both [Line Items]
Estimated damages		$ 5.2
Business Interruption
Unusual or Infrequent Item, or Both [Line Items]
Estimated damages		$ 8.4

RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS (Sch

RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS (Schedule of Related Party Transactions) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015	Apr. 01, 2016	Mar. 07, 2016	Oct. 26, 2011
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Sales to related parties	$ 46,723	$ 31,616	$ 22,148
Cost of goods purchased from related parties	127,101	163,398	109,767
Expenditures paid by related parties	44,154	48,644	40,611
Expenditures paid on behalf of related parties	5,393	10,747	4,056
Other related party transactions:
Capital contribution under tax sharing agreement	5,038	3,690	0
Accounts receivable from related parties	2,951	4,010
Accounts payable to related parties	2,889	4,468
Interest paid	81,260	69,857	42,968
JBS USA Food Company
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Sales to related parties	15,289	16,534	21,743
Cost of goods purchased from related parties	101,685	139,476	103,542
Expenditures paid by related parties	40,313	40,519	40,611
Expenditures paid on behalf of related parties	5,376	10,586	3,998
Other related party transactions:
Accounts receivable from related parties	2,826	3,754
Accounts payable to related parties	440	1,421
Goods in transit	1,700
JBS Five Rivers
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Sales to related parties	31,004	14,126	0
JBS Global (UK) Ltd.
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Sales to related parties	44	122	305
JBS Chile Ltda
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Sales to related parties	178	615	100
Other related party transactions:
Accounts receivable from related parties	108	159
J & F Investimentos Ltd.
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Sales to related parties	104	69	0
JBS SA
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Sales to related parties	0	0	0
Cost of goods purchased from related parties	0	0	0
Expenditures paid by related parties	3,777	8,125	0
Expenditures paid on behalf of related parties	5	86	29
Other related party transactions:
Accounts receivable from related parties	0	46
Seara International Ltd.
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Sales to related parties	104	4	0
Cost of goods purchased from related parties	11,236	2,746	2,784
Expenditures paid on behalf of related parties	0	72	29
Other related party transactions:
Accounts receivable from related parties	15	51
JBS Toledo
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Sales to related parties	0	143	0
Cost of goods purchased from related parties	231	123	0
Expenditures paid on behalf of related parties	0	0	0
Other related party transactions:
Accounts payable to related parties	39	21
Rigamonti Salumificio S.P.A.
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Sales to related parties	0	3	0
Cost of goods purchased from related parties	0	15	0
Expenditures paid on behalf of related parties	0	3	0
Seara Meats B.V.
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Cost of goods purchased from related parties	13,949	21,038	3,381
Expenditures paid on behalf of related parties	12	0	0
Other related party transactions:
Accounts receivable from related parties	2	0
Accounts payable to related parties	2,410	3,026
Macedo Agroindustrial Ltda.
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Cost of goods purchased from related parties	0	0	60
Seara Alimentos
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Expenditures paid by related parties	64	0	0
JBS USA Food Company Holding
Other related party transactions:
Total other related party transactions	5,558	5,240	4,958
Letter of credit, terminated				$ 16,500	$ 40,000
Interest paid	200
JBS USA Food Company Holding | Letter of credit
Other related party transactions:
Agreed reimbursement of debt, up to						$ 56,500
JBS USA Food Company Holding | Letter of credit fees
Other related party transactions:
Letter of credit fees	0	202	1,268
JBS USA Food Company Holding | Tax sharing agreement
Other related party transactions:
Capital contribution under tax sharing agreement	$ 5,558	$ 5,038	$ 3,690

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIE102

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Narrative) (Details) BRL in Millions	Jun. 05, 2017BRL	Jan. 27, 2017producer	Dec. 12, 2012USD ($)	Oct. 13, 2016producer	Sep. 24, 2017BRLformer_director	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)	Dec. 25, 2016USD ($)	Dec. 27, 2015USD ($)	Dec. 27, 2009USD ($)settlement_agreement	Feb. 15, 2018USD ($)
Other Commitments [Line Items]
Outstanding purchase contracts, payable in 2018						$ 346,700,000
Outstanding purchase contracts, payable in 2019 (less than)						100,000
Outstanding purchase contracts, payable in 2020						0
Rental expense for operating leases						59,000,000	$ 56,900,000	$ 32,100,000
Maximum potential amount of residual value guarantees						$ 48,500,000
Number of other producers named in lawsuit | producer		4		13
Due To Internal Revenue Service
Other Commitments [Line Items]
Asserted claims			$ 29,300,000						$ 74,700,000
Number of Stipulations of Settled Issues agreements | settlement_agreement									2
Minimum
Other Commitments [Line Items]
Operating leases, terms of lease maturities						1 year
Maximum
Other Commitments [Line Items]
Operating leases, terms of lease maturities						10 years
J and F Investigation
Other Commitments [Line Items]
Number of former directors involved in investigation | former_director					2
Litigation settlement, amount awarded to other party | BRL					BRL 225
Leniency Agreement
Other Commitments [Line Items]
Litigation settlement, amount awarded to other party | BRL	BRL 10,300
Litigation settlement, payment period	25 years
Subsequent Event | Tax Year 2009 | Mexican Tax Authority | Foreign Tax Authority
Other Commitments [Line Items]
Estimate of possible loss										$ 24,300,000
Subsequent Event | Tax Year 2010 | Mexican Tax Authority | Foreign Tax Authority
Other Commitments [Line Items]
Estimate of possible loss										$ 16,100,000

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIE103

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Schedule of Future Minimum Payments) (Details) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
2,018	$ 54,961
2,019	47,007
2,020	37,043
2,021	31,219
2,022	26,332
Thereafter	38,206
Total	$ 234,768

MARKET RISKS AND CONCENTRATI104

MARKET RISKS AND CONCENTRATIONS (Details) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)employee	Dec. 25, 2016USD ($)
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Number of employees	51,300
Period over which there have been no labor-related work stoppages	10 years
United States
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Number of employees	30,900
Mexico
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Number of employees	10,200
Aggregate carrying amount of net assets | $	$ 711.2	$ 673
U.K. and Europe
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Number of employees	10,200
Aggregate carrying amount of net assets | $	$ 1,367.7	$ 1,232.8
Trade accounts and other receivables
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Concentration risk, percentage	4.90%
Net sales
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Concentration risk, percentage	5.90%
Workforce subject to collective bargaining agreements
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Concentration risk, percentage	37.80%

BUSINESS SEGMENT AND GEOGRAP105

BUSINESS SEGMENT AND GEOGRAPHIC REPORTING (Narrative) (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017segment
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Number of reportable business segments	3

BUSINESS SEGMENT AND GEOGRAP106

BUSINESS SEGMENT AND GEOGRAPHIC REPORTING (Schedule of Net Sales, Operating Income and Long-lived Assets) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended												12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 24, 2017	Jun. 25, 2017	Mar. 26, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Sep. 25, 2016	Jun. 26, 2016	Mar. 27, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015	Sep. 27, 2015	Jun. 28, 2015	Mar. 29, 2015	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015
Net sales to customers by customer location:
Total	$ 2,742,352	$ 2,793,885	$ 2,752,286	$ 2,479,340	$ 2,370,883	$ 2,495,281	$ 2,551,990	$ 2,460,410	$ 2,533,348	$ 2,112,529	$ 2,053,876	$ 2,052,919	$ 10,767,863	$ 9,878,564	$ 8,752,672
Operating income
Total operating income													1,072,322	792,082	1,061,132
Interest expense, net of capitalized interest													107,183	75,636	46,549
Interest income													(7,730)	(2,301)	(3,828)
Foreign currency transaction (gains) losses													(2,659)	4,055	26,148
Miscellaneous, net													(6,538)	(9,344)	(9,061)
Income before income taxes													982,066	724,036	1,001,324
Long-lived assets:
Total	2,095,147				1,833,985								2,095,147	1,833,985
United States
Net sales to customers by customer location:
Total													7,452,758	6,460,787	6,722,455
Mexico
Net sales to customers by customer location:
Total													1,019,170	1,180,947	1,116,455
Asia
Net sales to customers by customer location:
Total													136,144	101,209	120,724
Canada, Caribbean and Central America
Net sales to customers by customer location:
Total													114,543	152,516	176,396
Africa
Net sales to customers by customer location:
Total													29,905	17,117	16,493
Europe
Net sales to customers by customer location:
Total													2,000,843	1,952,192	584,651
South America
Net sales to customers by customer location:
Total													13,279	11,955	12,114
Pacific
Net sales to customers by customer location:
Total													1,221	1,841	3,384
United States
Net sales to customers by customer location:
Total													7,443,222	6,671,403	7,143,354
Long-lived assets:
Total	1,437,220				1,220,263								1,437,220	1,220,263
Europe
Net sales to customers by customer location:
Total													1,996,319	1,947,441	572,568
Long-lived assets:
Total	368,521				328,045								368,521	328,045
Mexico
Net sales to customers by customer location:
Total													1,328,322	1,259,720	1,036,750
Long-lived assets:
Total	$ 289,406				$ 285,677								289,406	285,677
Operating Segments | United States
Operating income
Total operating income													841,492	572,558	949,610
Operating Segments | Europe
Operating income
Total operating income													77,105	78,572	16,241
Operating Segments | Mexico
Operating income
Total operating income													153,631	140,857	95,186
Elimination
Operating income
Total operating income													$ 94	$ 95	$ 95

BUSINESS SEGMENT AND GEOGRAP107

BUSINESS SEGMENT AND GEOGRAPHIC REPORTING (Schedule of Sales by Product Lines) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended												12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 24, 2017	Jun. 25, 2017	Mar. 26, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Sep. 25, 2016	Jun. 26, 2016	Mar. 27, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015	Sep. 27, 2015	Jun. 28, 2015	Mar. 29, 2015	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total	$ 2,742,352	$ 2,793,885	$ 2,752,286	$ 2,479,340	$ 2,370,883	$ 2,495,281	$ 2,551,990	$ 2,460,410	$ 2,533,348	$ 2,112,529	$ 2,053,876	$ 2,052,919	$ 10,767,863	$ 9,878,564	$ 8,752,672
Total chicken
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total													10,125,690	9,344,901	8,300,020
Total other products
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total													642,173	533,663	452,652
United States | Fresh chicken
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total													5,700,503	4,627,137	4,701,943
United States | Prepared chicken
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total													950,378	1,269,010	1,672,693
United States | Export and other chicken
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total													213,595	313,827	358,877
United States | Total chicken
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total													6,864,476	6,209,974	6,733,513
United States | Total other products
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total													578,746	461,429	409,841
U.K. and Europe | Fresh chicken
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total													846,575	811,127	240,815
U.K. and Europe | Prepared chicken
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total													792,284	794,880	241,589
U.K. and Europe | Export and other chicken
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total													318,699	283,276	67,903
U.K. and Europe | Total chicken
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total													1,957,558	1,889,283	550,307
U.K. and Europe | Total other products
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total													38,761	58,158	22,261
Mexico | Total chicken
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total													1,303,656	1,245,644	1,016,200
Mexico | Total other products
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total													$ 24,666	$ 14,076	$ 20,550

QUARTERLY RESULTS (UNAUDITED108

QUARTERLY RESULTS (UNAUDITED) (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended												12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 24, 2017	Jun. 25, 2017	Mar. 26, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Sep. 25, 2016	Jun. 26, 2016	Mar. 27, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015	Sep. 27, 2015	Jun. 28, 2015	Mar. 29, 2015	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015	Sep. 08, 2017	Jan. 06, 2017	Jun. 29, 2015
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Net sales	$ 2,742,352	$ 2,793,885	$ 2,752,286	$ 2,479,340	$ 2,370,883	$ 2,495,281	$ 2,551,990	$ 2,460,410	$ 2,533,348	$ 2,112,529	$ 2,053,876	$ 2,052,919	$ 10,767,863	$ 9,878,564	$ 8,752,672
Gross profit	261,804	478,584	474,838	256,388	228,870	253,060	337,796	284,257	205,040	284,544	432,020	377,120	1,471,614	1,103,983	1,298,724
Net income attributable to PPC common stockholders	$ 134,337	$ 232,680	$ 233,641	$ 93,921	$ 70,618	$ 98,657	$ 152,886	$ 118,371	$ 63,148	$ 137,062	$ 241,489	$ 204,215	$ 694,579	$ 440,532	$ 645,914
Net income per share amounts - basic (in dollars per share)	$ 0.54	$ 0.94	$ 0.94	$ 0.38	$ 0.29	$ 0.39	$ 0.60	$ 0.46	$ 0.25	$ 0.53	$ 0.93	$ 0.79	$ 2.79	$ 1.74	$ 2.50
Net income per share amounts - diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 0.54	$ 0.93	$ 0.94	$ 0.38	$ 0.28	$ 0.39	$ 0.60	$ 0.46	$ 0.25	$ 0.53	$ 0.93	$ 0.79	$ 2.79	$ 1.73	$ 2.50
Impairment charges, assets held for sale											$ 4,800
Alabama Processing Plant | Discontinued Operations, Held-for-sale
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Impairment charges, assets held for sale			$ 3,500										$ 3,500
Dallas Processing Plant | Discontinued Operations, Held-for-sale
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Impairment charges, assets held for sale					$ 800
Louisiana Processing Plant | Discontinued Operations, Held-for-sale
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Impairment charges, assets held for sale					300
GNP
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Transaction costs				$ 600													$ 600
Percentage of equity acquired																	100.00%
Net sales of acquiree since acquisition date													433,900
Net income (loss) of acquiree since acquisition date													30,400
Moy Park
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Transaction costs	$ 4,500	$ 15,000											4,500			$ 19,600
Percentage of equity acquired																100.00%
Tyson Mexico
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Percentage of equity acquired																		100.00%
Net sales of acquiree since acquisition date					121,700	$ 128,900							141,400	$ 250,600
Net income (loss) of acquiree since acquisition date					$ (10,800)	$ (2,900)							$ 6,300	$ (13,700)

SCHEDULE II VALUATION AND QU109

SCHEDULE II VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 25, 2016	Dec. 27, 2015
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts
Movement in Valuation Allowances and Reserves [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	$ 6,661	$ 9,381	$ 2,525
Additions, Charged to Operating Results	2,683	1,172	1,201
Additions, Charged to Other Accounts	339	(452)	6,087
Deductions	1,538	3,440	432
Ending Balance	8,145	6,661	9,381
Allowance for Sales Adjustments
Movement in Valuation Allowances and Reserves [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	4,874	5,662	7,425
Additions, Charged to Operating Results	185,198	199,423	150,113
Additions, Charged to Other Accounts	0	0	0
Deductions	180,595	200,211	151,876
Ending Balance	9,477	4,874	5,662
Valuation Allowance
Movement in Valuation Allowances and Reserves [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	25,611	27,300	9,150
Additions, Charged to Operating Results	0	0	0
Additions, Charged to Other Accounts	0	0	19,379
Deductions	(11,132)	(1,689)	(1,229)
Ending Balance	$ 14,479	$ 25,611	$ 27,300