According to Reuters, JBS USA, the world’s largest meatpacker, will close the Swift Beef Company facility in Riverside, California. The facility, which prepares beef for supermarket meat cases rather than slaughtering cattle, is scheduled to shut on February 2, 2026, according to a notice filed with the California Employment Development Department. The closure will result in the loss of 374 jobs in the region.
In a statement, JBS said the move is a part of a “strategic initiative to optimise its value-added and case-ready business and simplify operations across its network,” rather than a direct result of cattle supply shortages. The company added that affected workers will be eligible for positions at other JBS facilities.
The decision comes as U.S. cattle herds remain at historically low levels, driven in part by persistent drought in key ranching states and tighter restrictions on Mexican cattle imports. These conditions have pushed live cattle prices higher and helped beef prices reach record highs this year, raising costs for meatpackers nationwide.
JBS executives previously forecast tighter beef margins due to limited cattle availability, and rival meatpacker Tyson Foods recently disclosed plans to close a major Nebraska beef plant in January, underscoring the ongoing challenges facing the sector. Read more about this fluctuating state of beef and cattle here.
Analysts say the combination of shrinking herds and plant closures may have ripple effects on beef processing capacity and costs for retailers and consumers, although companies like JBS have pledged to redistribute production across their broader networks.
Source: Reuters
