PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT

3 Months Ended

Mar. 26, 2017

Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]

Property, plant and equipment (“PP&E”), net consisted of the following:



	March 26, 2017			December 25, 2016
	(In thousands)
Land	$	162,010		$	112,132
Buildings	1,247,579			1,169,984
Machinery and equipment	1,839,555			1,789,550
Autos and trucks	48,214			50,964
Construction-in-progress	301,451			231,874
PP&E, gross	3,598,809			3,354,504
Accumulated depreciation	(1,888,966		)	(1,848,564		)
PP&E, net	$	1,709,843		$	1,505,940

The Company recognized depreciation expense of $45.8 million and $38.5 million during the thirteen weeks ended March 26, 2017 and March 27, 2016, respectively.

During the thirteen weeks ended March 26, 2017, Pilgrim's spent $114.5 million on capital projects and transferred $47.5 million of completed projects from construction-in-progress to depreciable assets. During the thirteen weeks ended March 27, 2016, the Company spent $37.1 million on capital projects and transferred $77.3 million of completed projects from construction-in-progress to depreciable assets. Capital expenditures were primarily incurred during the thirteen weeks ended March 26, 2017 to improve efficiencies and reduce costs.

During the thirteen weeks ended March 26, 2017, the Company sold miscellaneous equipment for cash of $0.2 million and recognized net loss on these sales of $0.1 million. During the thirteen weeks ended March 27, 2016, the Company sold certain PP&E for cash of $0.6 million and recognized net gains on these sales of $0.1 million. PP&E sold in the period included 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 Texas 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 both March 26, 2017 and December 25, 2016, the Company reported properties and related assets totaling $5.0 million and $5.3 million, respectively, in the line item Assets held for sale on its Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Company tested the recoverability of its assets held for sale and determined that the aggregate carrying amount of the Texas processing complex asset group was recoverable over the remaining life of the respective primary asset in that asset group.

The Company has closed or idled various processing complexes, processing plants, hatcheries, broiler farms, and feed mills throughout the U.S. 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 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 March 26, 2017, the carrying amount of these idled assets was $59.0 million based on depreciable value of $191.7 million and accumulated depreciation of $132.7 million.

The Company last tested the recoverability of its long-lived assets held and used in December 2016. At that time, the Company determined that the carrying amount of its long-lived assets held and used was recoverable over the remaining life of the primary asset in the group and that long-lived assets held and used passed the Step 1 recoverability test under ASC 360-10-35, Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets. There were no indicators present during the thirteen weeks ended March 26, 2017 that required the Company to test its long-lived assets held and used for recoverability.