EMPORIA, KAN. — Tyson Foods Inc. plans to lay off 809 employees at its beef plant in Emporia, according to a Worker Adjustment Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notice posted by the Kansas Department of Commerce on Dec. 2.

The Emporia Gazette reported that Tyson announced in a letter sent to facility employees that it would cease all operations on Feb. 14, 2025. The report said that Tyson officials told city officials that all Emporia operations would move to its Holcomb, Kan., beef facility.

Tyson Foods took over the operation of the Emporia plant in 2001 after buying Iowa Beef Packers (IBP).

“After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to close our beef and pork non-harvest processing facility in Emporia, Kan., to increase the efficiency of our operations,” a Tyson Foods spokesperson said. “We understand the impact of this decision on our team members and the local community. Taking care of our team members is our top priority and we encourage them to apply for other open roles within the company. We are also working closely with state and local officials to provide additional resources to those who are impacted.”

Tyson Foods added that it employs more than 5,000 people across other Kansas facilities.

Over the last few years, Tyson Foods has closed several plants in the United States.

In March 2024, Tyson Foods shut down a pork plant in Perry, Iowa. The closure of poultry processing facilities in Van Buren, Ark., and Glen Allen, Va., were confirmed in March 2023. The company announced an additional four plant closings five months later in North Little Rock, Ark.; Corydon, Ind.; Dexter, Mo.; and Noel, Mo.