Tyson Foods announces closure of NLR plant, three others

Tyson Foods is announcing the closure of four chicken plants, including one in North Little Rock, in 2024. The nation’s largest processor of chicken, beef and pork made the announcement on Monday as part of its third quarter report for 2023.

The impacted plants include the facility in North Little Rock as well as one in Indiana and two in Missouri. Company officials said in the report that operations at these plants will transition to other Tyson-owned facilities.

“Tyson expect to shift production to other facilities and cease operations at the impacted locations in their first two quarters of fiscal 2024. They continue to evaluate the financial statement impact of the closures for charges related to contract terminations, impairments, accelerated depreciation, severance and retention. Based on their preliminary analysis, they currently estimate total charges of $300 million to $400 million which will be recorded through the planned closure dates.”

In a statement regarding the closure announcement, Tyson Foods President and CEO Donnie King said “The difficult decision demonstrates our commitment to bold action and operational excellence as we drive performance, including lower costs and improving capacity utilization, and build on our strategy of making Tyson Foods stronger in the long-term.”

The company expects all four chicken plants to close sometime in the first two quarters of fiscal 2024.