Butterball said today it will “ramp down” some operations at its Carthage processing plant next spring, cutting 450 jobs, including 400 union workers.
The company in a statement said it is working to “balance its operations at the facility to better align with the products consumers demand. Long-term adverse conditions in the commodities market, where Butterball has routinely sold excess protein produced at the facility, has resulted in the need to ramp down certain production processes at this location.”
The change will begin no sooner than March 1, 2021.
The plant will continue to produce ground turkey and turkey burgers.
The company also said in a statement that the change will impact ”a limited number of turkey growers in the Midwest, however, Butterball does not anticipate reduction in the Carthage-area growers …”
“We are making every effort to provide support to our team members during a challenging time by providing a variety of paths to lessen the impact, including the opportunity to relocate to other Butterball facilities and severance packages,” Butterball President and CEO Jay Jandrain said in a statement. “In spite of the ongoing market pressures that led to this decision, it was important to our leadership team that we find ways to carry our team members and their families through the holidays and provide continued employment through at least March of 2021.”
