SPRINGDALE, ARK. — After a recent series of plant closures at Tyson Foods Inc., the company confirmed it will be closing two more facilities. Tyson will cease operations at its value-added plants in Jacksonville, Fla., and Columbia, SC.

“We are making the difficult decision to close two of our case ready value-added plants,” a Tyson spokesperson told MEAT+POULTRY. “We understand the impact of this decision on our team members. We will make every effort to offer them opportunities to remain with the company at other locations and will partner with state and local officials to provide additional resources. With a focus on optimizing our operational footprint, we are reallocating resources to operate as efficiently as possible, while maintaining ample capacity to serve our customers.”

In a letter to Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan and the State Trade & Rapid Response Program, Tyson Foods vice president Brandon Smith wrote that the last day of operations at the Jacksonville plant will be Jan. 8, 2024. Over 200 employees will be affected by the plant closure.

The announcement follows six previous plant closures.

In March, Tyson announced it would close its Van Buren, Ark., and Glen Allen, Va., poultry processing facilities. Five months later, the company announced an additional four plants closing, those in North Little Rock, Ark.; Corydon, Ind.; Dexter, Mo.; and Noel, Mo.

Last month, Tyson confirmed a report of a mass layoff taking place at its Wilkesboro, NC, poultry processing plant. While the plant remains open, 250 workers of the then 3,000 team members were let go. The company attributed the layoffs to reducing operations in response to current customer demand.