December 5, 2024

Tyson to shut down Kansas, US meat plant

Tyson Food will permanently close a meat plant in Emporia, Kansas, the United States, that employs more than 800 people, according to a letter the company sent to the state on December 2.

The job cuts are the latest blows to the US' heartland from the biggest US meat company by sales. Tyson also closed six US 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.

The company will shut the Emporia plant around February 14, terminating 804 employees, and another five employees at a lab will lose their jobs on January 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.

Tyson's letter said the closures are part of a strategy to operate more efficiently.

- Reuters