Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork processor, announced plans to shutter 35 hog operations in north Missouri this fall. As a result, 92 workers will face layoffs. Murphy-Brown LLC, a division of Smithfield Foods, has informed the state of the permanent closings in northern Missouri’s Putnam and Mercer counties.
The layoffs, scheduled for October 8, are “specific to our Missouri hog production (farm) operations,” a representative from Smithfield clarified via email.
According to the news agency Reuters, the notice to the state’s Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, dated August 2, identified 35 hog farm operation sites. They included 13 sites near Newtown, 12 near Lucerne, and 10 sites near Princeton.
Owned by Hong Kong’s WH Group, Smithfield has been a prominent player in the global meat industry, however, the U.S. meat sector has recently grappled with a host of challenges. Declining profits and a dip in demand, attributed to consumers feeling the pinch from inflation and rising interest rates, have plagued the industry.
According to Smithfield and Murphy-Brown, employees have been offered the opportunity to relocate to another company site.
