Tyson to Close Plant, Cutting 800+ JobsTyson to Close Plant, Cutting 800+ Jobs

Tyson Foods will permanently close a beef and pork plant in Emporia, KS, that employs more than 800 people, the meat processor said on Monday.

In 2023 alone, the company closed various US plants, cut corporate staff, and closed corporate offices. The meat and poultry giant closed six US chicken plants since the start of 2023 and an Iowa pork plant, laying off thousands of workers. The chicken processing plants were located in  North Little Rock, AR; Corydon, IN; Dexter, MO;  Noel, MO, Jacksonville, FL and Columbia, SC. It closed a poultry complex in Vienna, GA and cut jobs at a Wilkesboro, NC plant as well.

Tyson Foods announced in August 2023 that it had plans to sell its poultry business in China on top of the US closures.

Tyson will shut its Emporia plant around Feb. 14, terminating 804 employees, according to a letter it sent to the Kansas Department of Commerce. Another five employees at a lab will lose their jobs on Jan. 31, Tyson's letter said, adding that the closures are part of a strategy to operate more efficiently.

In a separate statement, the company encouraged employees to apply for other jobs at the company and said it is working with state and local officials to provide them with resources.

Tyson's beef business, its largest unit, reported an adjusted loss of $291 million in its 2024 fiscal year that ended September, compared with income of $233 million for fiscal year 2023. The company projects the business will also suffer an operating loss in fiscal year 2025, Reuters reported.

Related:PepsiCo Finalizes Siete Foods Acquisition