Smithfield Packing Company Inc., a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods, has let go 120 more workers as part of a planned closure of a Portsmouth, Va., hot dog and lunch meat production plant, according to news reports. Layoffs at the plant began in January.
Smithfield announced the plant closure in November 2011, and the company expects the closure to be complete by mid-August.
Smithfield Packing plans to shift production from the closed facility to its plant in Kinston, NC. The company's $85.5 million hot dog and packaged meats production line has been operating for several months and currently employs about 650 people. The Portsmouth closure impacted more than 400 employees.
The move comes during a proposed buyout of Smithfield Foods by Hong Kong-based Shuanghui International Holdings, Ltd. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year.
