Missouri Attorney General Joins Chorus Urging Tyson Foods to Sell Facilities Targeted for Closure

Oct. 5, 2023

State AG Andrew Bailey sent a letter to Tyson only two weeks after Senator Josh Hawley spoke with the meat processor about the plants in Dexter and Noel, Mo.

Andy Hanacek

Missouri’s attorney general, Andrew Bailey, has joined the growing chorus of calls to urge Tyson Foods to sell two processing plants in the state that it has announced will be closed. Bailey sent a letter to Tyson CEO Donnie King, just two weeks after U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), announced he had spoken with the meat processor’s CEO about the future of the facilities and possibility of them being sold.

The chicken processing plants in Dexter and Noel, Mo., were among four plants that Tyson targeted in August for closure — though the company had not shared any clear timetable for execution of that plan.

Bailey explained in the letter to Tyson that the plants were critical to local communities and would have “ripple effects that will harm more than just the individuals who would lose their factory jobs.”

Tyson’s chicken processing operation has taken a beating this year, with the aforementioned August plant closure news, the proposed shutdown of two facilities in March, and — earlier this week — the announcement that 250 chicken plant workers would be laid off at the Wilkesboro, N.C., facility.

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.