March 16, 2007

Smithfield's beef plant groundbreaking delayed
 

Groundbreaking on a planned US$200 million Smithfield Beef processing plant in Oklahoma has been delayed, according to a report by The Associated Press.

The Smithfield, Virginia-based company announced last fall construction would begin near the tiny cattle town of Hooker in January. The start of construction was pushed back because the engineering, design and bidding process was taking longer than expected.

Smithfield issued a statement this week, saying the postponement was due to "finalizing the engineering plans for the facility because we are looking at several options and enhancements."

The company also said the beef workshop is a major undertaking wherein all the details should be appropriate, adding options have to be carefully evaluated to ensure the efficiency of the plant is at its best.

A spokeswoman for Smithfield Beef Group, Beth Andersen, tells AP that a groundbreaking date hasn't been scheduled.