Smithfield to close many plants

Smithfield Foods announced they will close six plants around the country, including the one in Elon that produces country ham. One hundred sixty employees there will lose their jobs by the end of the year.

Nationwide, about 1,800 employees will be affected.

The biggest blow comes to Smithfield’s South Facility, in Virginia, where nearly 1,400 people work. The company plans to offer more than a thousand of those employees transfers to other plants, which means the Tar Heel, Wilson and Kinston plants could actually see a bit of growth down the line.