An Iowa town will join communities in Florida, South Carolina, Arkansas, Virginia, Indiana, California, Minnesota, Michigan, and Missouri. They have all lost a meat processing plant over the past year.
Tyson Foods announced that it will close its pork packing plant in Perry, Iowa. The closure means 1,276 workers will lose their jobs in the community, a crushing blow to a town with fewer than 8,000 residents.
While Tyson Foods is pulling out of Perry, it is expanding in another town. The company announced in January that it was opening a bacon processing facility in Kentucky.
“Our innovative new plant in Bowling Green reflects a major investment that we are proud to make in southcentral Kentucky. This enables us to focus on the health and safety of our team members while also delivering best in class service for our customers,” said Donnie King, president and CEO, Tyson Foods.
The company still operates pork facilities in three other Iowa towns, where it employs nearly 9,000 people.
But the Perry plant closure reflects the recent struggles in the hog industry. Producers last year lost $32 per head with more losses expected in 2024 as demand for pork has been declining and exports haven’t risen fast enough to make up the difference.
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