Tyson Foods to close Kansas meat plant, cutting more than 800 jobs

Chicago | Reuters — Tyson Food will permanently close a meat plant in Emporia, Kansas, that employs more than 800 people, according to a letter the company sent to the state on Monday.

The job cuts are the latest blows to America’s heartland from the biggest U.S. meat company by sales. Tyson has also closed six U.S. chicken plants since the start of 2023 and an Iowa pork plant, laying off thousands of workers.

Tyson faces financial pressure as the nation’s cattle herd has dwindled to its smallest size in decades, raising costs for the animals the company processes into beef. The meatpacker’s chicken business previously suffered after executives misjudged consumer demand.

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The company will shut the Emporia plant around Feb. 14, terminating 804 employees, and another five employees at a lab will lose their jobs on Jan. 31, according to a letter it sent to the Kansas Department of Commerce.

The plant has produced products such as seasoned and marinated meats and ground beef, according to Tyson’s website. Workers stopped slaughtering cattle there in 2008 due to tight supplies.

The company, which reaped big profits as meat prices soared during the COVID-19 pandemic, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Its letter said the closures are part of a strategy to operate more efficiently.