By Catherine M. Welch
Wilmington, NC – Smithfield Foods announced Tuesday that it will layoff 1,800 workers and close six of its plants, including the one in Elon.
Smithfield Foods spokesman Dennis Pittman says it's not the economy as much as the need to streamline operations that prompted these closings. He says the Elon plant will close this September, eliminating all 160 positions.
"It just happened to be one of the plants where we felt we would be more effective in doing the work somewhere else."
The company says operations in Clayton, Kinston, Tar Heel and Wilson will remain open. And some workers at its plant in Smithfield Virginia will be moved to North Carolina plants.
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