Smithfield Foods announced Friday that it is closing most of its operations in Beaver County. (Stuart Johnson, KSL-TV)
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MILFORD, Beaver County – Smithfield Foods announced on Friday that it was closing most of its activities in Beaver County, sparking a protest from the rural community.
County officials noted that the company is the largest employer in the area and said the closure would affect more than 250 jobs, a number that a Smithfield spokesman denied.
During an emergency meeting after the announcement, county and city leaders expressed concerns about how the closure could have a ripple effect on the local economy. The county in southwestern Utah has a population of about 6,500, according to the U.S. Census.
“My family was able to return to Beaver County 15 years ago because I was able to be employed by Smithfield Foods, and I deeply sympathize with these fellow employees, their families, contractors, contractors, their families, all affected businesses, our partners in the school district, “said Beaver Mayor Matt Robinson.
The Beaver County Commission has declared a state of emergency.
“It affects a lot of families, friends and everything else,” said County Commissioner Mark Whitney. “We can really feel in our hearts and souls how many people this can devastate.
Whitney said county leaders had talked to state and federal leaders about the situation.
Leaders in the state of emergency called on “all municipal, state and national governments and organizations to help the county by providing resources to explore ways to sustain the Beaver and Iron County pig operations and to ensure responsible and cost-effective treatment.” way. “
County leaders noted that there is federal and state funding for such situations.
Asked by a resident if the workers could set up an independent packaging plant, Whitney said the county had no workforce to do so. He said leaders plan to work “together” with Smithfield to find solutions for the future.
Smithfield Foods said in a news release Friday that it will suspend all harvesting and processing operations in Vernon, California, early next year and plans to “align its pig production system by reducing its herd of pigs in Vernon, Calif.” its western region. “
This includes reducing the pig herd in west-central Utah and potentially leaving farms in Arizona and California, according to Smithfield Foods. The company said it was taking these steps because of “escalating costs of doing business in California.”
Company officials said they were providing “transition assistance” to affected employees, including offering options for relocation within the company and incentives to continue doing business until early next year.
“We are grateful to the members of our team in the Western Region for their dedication and invaluable contribution to our mission. “We are committed to providing financial and other transition assistance to employees affected by this difficult decision,” Smithfield CEO Brady Stewart said in a statement.
Jim Munro, vice president of corporate affairs at Smithfield Foods, said in an interview that he was unsure how county leaders had come to the conclusion that two-thirds of employees would be affected. He said the number of jobs that would be affected has not yet been determined by the company.
Munro said Smithfield did not disclose the percentage of the herd it plans to reduce in Utah, nor will it say how many pigs the company owns in the state. The company plans to relocate most of its operations to the Midwest, and the pigs in Utah will go to another facility.
He noted that Smithfield has no plans to end its renewable energy program, which produces manure from pig farms to produce renewable natural gas.
Local leaders also condemned the potential impact on food security across the country.
“I think it’s bigger than us, it’s bigger than Beaver County, it’s bigger than Utah,” said County Commissioner Tammy Pearson.
“We have to keep these people in business … we can’t lose this business,” Pearson said. “We will move heaven and earth to do what we need to do to maintain this.”
Yield: Amy Joy O’Donoghue
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Ashley Imley covers government policy and breaking news for KSL.com. Throughout Utah, Ashley also worked as a reporter for Deseret News and graduated from Dixie State University.
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