CONCORD, N.H. (AP) – Tyson Foods said Thursday it is closing two meat processing plants in Maine and New Hampshire, putting more than 700 people out of work in February.
The Arkansas-based company said in a statement it will close its plant in Manchester, which employs about 550 people, and its operation in Augusta, Maine, where about 170 people work.
The company said it was aiming to improve manufacturing efficiencies and said it would cost too much to bring the Manchester plant to “a competitive level and to maintain appropriate food safety standards.”
The Manchester plant’s production, mainly sandwich meats, will be moved to facilities in Council Bluffs, Iowa; Fort Worth, Texas; Goodlettsville, Tenn.; and Chicago, the company said.
The output of the Augusta plant, which produces frankfurters, sausages, hams and turkey products, will be shifted to Buffalo, N.Y., and Concordia, Mo.
The company said it will work with Maine and New Hampshire employment officials to find work for the affected employees in the area or within the company elsewhere.
The Manchester plant, formerly known as Granite State Packing and Jac Pac Foods, began operation in 1933. The Augusta plant was built in 1960 by the Joseph Kirschner Co. Tyson acquired the plants in 2001.
AP-ES-12-04-03 2040EST
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