Smithfield to lay off fewer than 30 workers after Va plant closes, fraction of original plans

Smithfield to lay off fewer workers at Va plant

SMITHFIELD, Va. — Smithfield Foods Inc. said Thursday it will lay off fewer than 30 workers when it closes a Virginia meat processing plant this spring, nowhere near the 340 it previously anticipated.

The nation’s largest pork producer plans to transfer about 800 employees to a nearby packing plant over the next two months.

The company said Thursday attrition and a hiring freeze helped it avoid more layoffs.

The company, based in Smithfield, Va., said closing its dated “South” plant, which employed about 1,375 would, along with other cuts, help it focus on more profitable packaged meats like bacon.

When the restructuring was announced, Smithfield said more than 1,000 people would be offered transfers to either the North plant or plants in North Carolina.