Food giant Tyson Foods is closing several of its beef plants in the US including one in Illinois, with state representatives describing the closure as “devastating” and “abrupt,” with more than 2,500 workers expected to lose their jobs.
The company announced the closures in a Thursday news release, saying it was “making strategic changes to its beef operations to position the company for long-term success.” Tyson will close two beef facilities and sell another, with plans to anchor around its central US locations in Dakota City, Nebraska; Holcomb, Kansas and Amarillo, Texas.
“Recent USDA cattle inventory data, which included continued evidence of limited heifer retention, indicates these supply constraints are likely to persist, requiring strategic action,” the release said.
Operations at Tyson’s beef plants will end at facilities in Joslin, Illinois in Rock Island County, and in Eagle Mountain, Utah. Tyson also hopes to sell its facility in Pasco, Washington as the company hopes to “maintain a similar level of cattle harvesting across a more efficient and modern network.”
The company said was offering impacted team members the chance to apply for positions at other facilities.