Tyson Foods Lays Off 250 Wilkesboro, N.C., Poultry Plant Workers

Oct. 3, 2023

Citing supply-demand imbalance, the Springdale, Ark., poultry processor continues to experience business turbulence this year.

Andy Hanacek

In response to an oversupply of chicken in the marketplace, Tyson Foods is laying off 250 workers at its Wilkesboro, N.C., processing plant, according to local news reports. The Tyson facility is one of the largest employers in the area, and affected employees are expected to be notified this week.

According to reports, the layoffs will be centered on the second shift, and that employees will be offered other positions at the Wilkesboro plant. The company reportedly employs about 2,200 full-time and contract workers in Wilkes County, where the plant is located.

The Wilkesboro facility has survived two rounds of facility closures by the company, with Tyson announcing the closure of four chicken plants (North Little Rock, Ark., Corydon, Ind., Dexter, Mo., and Noel, Mo.) in August and two plants (Van Buren, Ark., and Glen Allen, Va.) in March of this year.

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.