Tyson Foods Announces Nebraska Plant Closure

According to the Wall Street Journal, Tyson Foods plans to close one of its largest beef-processing plants in the Midwest.  The Lexington, NB plant slaughters nearly 5,000 cattle daily, and employs roughly 3,000 people.  Tyson, America’s largest meat supplier, is the biggest of the the four meatpacking companies that process 85% of beef in the United States.

Meatpackers, including Tyson, say they have been losing hundreds of millions of dollars processing beef thanks to the smallest national cattle herd since the 1950’s.  Industry experts say this closure could hurt beef production, tightening supplies and driving up prices for consumers even more.

In addition, Tyson announced last week that it is moving its Amarillo, TX, beef plant that can slaughter about 6,000 cattle a day from two shifts a day down to a single shift.

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