Murphy-Brown LLC, the livestock production division of Smithfield Foods, will close 35 hog farm facilities and lay off 92 employees in northern Missouri in October, according to news reports citing a Missouri Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) notice.
The company said in the notice that it was “reducing its hog farming operations” and “must reduce its workforce accordingly” in Missouri — as the meat and poultry industry faces significant challenges across the board, particularly in terms of predicting consumer demand in the face of inflation and higher prices for food.
Murphy-Brown will shutter 13 sites in Newtown, 12 in Lucerne and 10 in Princeton, Mo., though the exact sites were not available. Employees have been offered opportunities to other company facilities where a position might be available. Layoffs are slated for Oct. 8 for any remaining employees at the facilities.
