SPRINGDALE, ARK. — Tyson Foods Inc. announced on July 9 that it agreed to sell its Vienna, Ga., poultry complex to House of Raeford Farms. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.

Tyson stated that the decision to sell the complex was part of its continued efforts to optimize its plant network. The company will continue to service customer orders from other production locations.

Based in Rose Hill, NC, House of Raeford Farms is a processor of fresh and value-added chicken. Brands owned by the company include House of Raeford, Filet of Chicken and Speedy Bird.

"House of Raeford intends to continue poultry processing at the complex and offer employment to the existing workforce as well as continue with the current grower network already in place," a company spokesperson told MEAT+POULTRY. "We will provide no further comments until the sale has cleared customary closing conditions and regulatory approval."

In January 2015, Tyson broke ground on a $110 million expansion project to convert the further processing plant to a tray-pack operation, including adding 100,000 square feet. Six months after construction began, the first bird was killed at the revamped facility.

This is the latest in a series of decisions by Tyson to close and divest operations. In March, the company announced the closure of its pork plant in Perry, Iowa, which affected more than 1,200 workers.

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

In October 2023, Tyson confirmed a report of  layoffs at its Wilkesboro, NC, poultry processing plant. While the plant remained open, 250 workers of the then 3,000 team members were released. The company attributed the layoffs to reducing operations in response to current customer demand.

A month later, it closed value-added plants in Jacksonville, Fla., and Columbia, SC.