DEXTER, Mo. -- Nearly 700 employees will lose their job after a major company announced the closure of a poultry plant in Dexter.
Tyson Foods announced Dexter as one of four facilities to close down.
The other three are located in North Little Rock, Arkansas; Corydon, Indiana; and Noel, Missouri.
Dexter City Administrator David Wyman said Dexter has been home to an active poultry production industry since the 1890's.
The current plant that faces closure has been active since the opening of the Swift Poultry Company which opened their doors in the 1930's, Wyman said in a statement.
"This loss will negatively affect the city's workforce, economy and the Dexter community as a whole," Wyman said in the statement. "The closure is expected to impact 683 Tyson employees, as well as a vast network of chicken growers, farmers, truckers and more."
Wyman said this was a corporate decision and that local administrations did not have any control over the decision.
"We need to remain positive about our local Tyson Management and local Tyson employees. They had zero input on the decision, and we have enjoyed a tremendous relationship with them for years," Wyman said.
The City of Dexter personnel will concentrate on how to encourage economic development following the plant closure.
"We need to worry about the families here in town, and we need to be extremely smart about our expenses," Wyman said.
The facility is scheduled to lock their doors on October 13th, 2023.
The following statement can be attributed to Donnie King, President and CEO, Tyson Foods:
“While current market dynamics remain challenging, Tyson Foods is fully committed to our vision of delivering sustainable, top line growth and margin improvement,� said Donnie King, President and CEO, Tyson Foods. “I’m encouraged by the improvements we made this quarter, including our Tyson Core Business lines that continue to outpace our peers in volume growth.�
“The difficult decision to close four chicken facilities in North Little Rock, Arkansas, Corydon, Indiana, Dexter, Missouri and Noel, Missouri, demonstrates our commitment to bold action and operational excellence as we drive performance, including lower costs and improving capacity utilization, and build on our strategy of making Tyson Foods stronger in the long-term.�
The following statement can be attributed to a Tyson Foods spokesperson:
“After careful consideration, we made the difficult decision to permanently close the plant and all other locations that are part of the Dexter, Missouri complex on or about October 13, 2023, and move the work performed in those locations to other facilities. While the decision was not easy, it reflects our broader strategy to strengthen our poultry business.
We did not take this decision lightly and taking care of our team members is our top priority. All impacted team members are encouraged to apply for open, posted roles within the company and we will assist in offering relocation benefits where applicable.
Team members receiving benefits today will see no change to those benefits and will be paid for any earned but unused vacation through the date of termination. In addition, we will pay a retention bonus of $1,000 to any hourly team member who remains employed through the plant closing date.
We are closely coordinating with state and local officials, including the Missouri Office of Workforce Development, to connect all team members to resources and assistance available.�
