Virginia-based Smithfield Foods says it will shutter its Altoona ham boning facility, a move that will leave 314 workers without jobs.
Smithfield’s announcement comes on the heels of Tyson Foods closing its plant Friday in Perry, displacing 1,300 workers. The plant was Perry’s largest employer.
Smithfield, owned by publicly traded WH Group, a Hong Kong-based company, says it will close the Altoona operation Aug. 30. The company said the move will improve manufacturing efficiency, with central Iowa production moving to Smithfield plants in Monmouth, Illinois; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and Crete, Nebraska.
Smithfield said officials will meet with employees individually to discuss severance pay, financial incentives “to assure business continuity,” and other employment opportunities within the company.
“We appreciate the good work our Altoona employees have done over the years and are committed to supporting every employee through this transition,” Doug Sutton, chief manufacturing officer for Smithfield Foods, said in a statement. He said Smithfield has been “successful in retaining many of our people” in other positions “during previous consolidations.”