Tyson Foods (TSN. US) said Tuesday that it will close two U.S. chicken plants on May 12, involving nearly 1,700 employees combined. The closures of those plants show that the nation’s largest meat company is still grappling with how to improve its chicken business, which has struggled for years.
According to a statement, Tyson Foods will close a plant in Glen Allen, Virginia, which employs 692 people, and a plant in Van Buren, Arkansas, which employs 969 people.
The company said chicken demand will shift to other plants as part of a strategy to tap into each plant’s full capacity.
“The current size and inability to improve operations economically led to the difficult decision to close these facilities,” Tyson Foods said. ”