Cargill to close Arkansas turkey processing plant, cutting 1,100 workers

CHICAGO, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Global commodities trader Cargill Inc CARG.UL will close a Springdale, Arkansas, turkey processing plant with 1,100 workers on Aug. 1 and shift much of the production to processing facilities in Missouri and Virginia, the company said on Wednesday.

The closure comes as privately held Cargill is cutting its global workforce by 5% amid a sharp drop in earnings in its meat and grain and oilseed businesses. Thousands of U.S. workers for other poultry companies have also lost their jobs over the last two years due to plant closures.

"It is the right move to make for the future of our turkey business. Turkey remains an essential part of Cargill's protein portfolio," the company said in an emailed statement.

The Springdale plant produces fresh and frozen whole turkeys, bone-in turkey breasts and case-ready turkey products, a Cargill spokesperson said.

"We will honor contractual obligations to growers and continue to process turkey and other proteins at more than 40 primary, case-ready and value-added protein facilities in the United States and Canada," the company said.

U.S. chicken producer Perdue Farms has said it will shut a Tennessee facility in March, eliminating jobs for 433 employees. Tyson Foods TSN.N has shuttered six chicken plants with thousands of workers since 2023.