The Tyson Foods poultry plant in North Little Rock, Arkansas, has officially ceased operations.
Tyson in August announced its intent to close four plants that were smaller in scale and deemed by the company as inefficient. The other three were in Corydon, Indiana; and Noel and Dexter, Missouri.
During an earnings call following the announcement to close those plants, CEO Donnie King said it also did not seem feasible to renovate them.
“These assets that we’re shuttering would have required significant capital in order to make them competitive, and if you look at the returns on those, it really didn’t make sense to do that,” said King.
The plant had been a part of Tyson Foods’ operations since 1969. The facility itself began production in 1968 under the ownership of Prospect Farms Inc., which Tyson Foods acquired one year later, the company revealed in a 2018 press release. At the time, Tyson Foods Chairman John Tyson said: “The North Little Rock plant has played a key role in the history and success of our company. Our purchase of the plant in 1969 marked the start of our production of further-processed chicken, which became the cornerstone of our poultry business. It also enabled us to enter the food service business. I’m proud of our North Little Rock team members and the work they continue to do today to serve our customers.”
According to a report from TVH11, the closure affected 339 employees. A Tyson Foods spokesperson said workers in North Little Rock were offered to relocate to other Tyson Foods facilities, and about 30 people chose that option.
The company also coordinated with state and local officials to connect affected workers to available resources, including a job fair conducted in a partnership with the North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce.
The Tyson spokesperson did not elaborate on the closure dates for the remaining three plants picked to cease operations, but it was earlier announced that they would close during the first half of the 2024 fiscal year. The fiscal year began in early October.
The closing of the North Little Rock plant follows the closing of two other plants in May. Those facilities were located in Glen Allen, Virginia, and Van Buren, Arkansas.
Several weeks ago, Tyson also announced that 250 people were being laid off at its cooked poultry plant in Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
