US-based pork processor Smithfield Foods is set to initiate its previously announced closure of its meat facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, which produces deli meat and hot dogs.
The company noted that the layoffs will first begin in January and end in March. The first set of layoffs will lead to loss of 120 jobs, while over 400 jobs will be eliminated by the time the facility is closed.
Smithfield Foods is offering transfer opportunities to the affected employees.
In November 2011, the company announced its plans to close the plant in 2013 and transfer the production to its facility in Kinston, North Carolina.
The company said that the plant, which was established in the 1970s, could not support the manufacturing technology changes and product development required by the company.
Meanwhile, Smithfield Foods expects to complete the expansion of its meat processing plant at Kinston, North Carolina, by 2013. The expansion is likely to create 330 jobs.