MOMENCE, ILL. — Momence Packing, owned by Johnsonville LLC, has closed its facility in Momence, resulting in the layoff of 274 employees.

A Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) notice from the state of Illinois confirmed that it received notification of the plant closure on June 2.

Employees from Momence are expected to receive pay and benefits for 60 days after the plant closing, according to Johnsonville. The company added it would work through additional terms of a separation package over the next couple of weeks.

“We made the difficult decision after evaluating how best to optimize our operations network to address current and future growth,” the company said in a statement to MEAT+POULTRY, a sister publication of Food Business News.

Johnsonville said the work from the Momence plant will be relocated to three other facilities, including two in Wisconsin and one in Kansas. The company expects to create about 100 new jobs by the end of the third quarter between its Sheboygan Falls, Wis. (20 to 25 new jobs) and Watertown, Wis. (70 to 75 new jobs) facilities.

Johnsonville will transfer equipment and other assets from the Momence facility to different locations.