Smithfield Foods, the largest hog processor in the U.S., announced two days ago that it will close a large pork processing plant in Vernon, California (1,800 workforce) by early 2023 on the same grounds CF Industries gave for its decision to shut one of its two fertilizer plants in the U.K.: it’s too costly now to profit from agriculture businesses. These decisions deliver new blows to the already-threatened national and international food supply.
Smithfield’s talk of its plants in other areas of the country making up for the production loss in California is belied by its announcement that it is also downsizing its hog herd. Smithfield “will decrease its sow herd in Utah and is exploring strategic options to exit its farms in Arizona and California,” the company announced. Beaver County, Utah where the Smithfield hog operation is being shut down, declared an “economic emergency” at the news, as the company has been the area’s largest employer, and its closure will affect more than 250 jobs. (https://www.smithfieldfoods.com/press-room/2022-06-10-Smithfield-Foods-to-Close-Vernon%2c-CA-Facility-Reduce-Hog-Production-in-Western-Region)