SMITHFIELD, Va., September 18, 2018 — Smithfield Foods, Inc. employees continue to work around the clock to provide care to our animals and assess the impact of Hurricane Florence to the company’s farms and operations in North Carolina.
The storm has caused historic flooding across the state. We are thankful that none of our employees have reported any serious injuries or loss of life. Of our more-than 200 company-owned farms in North Carolina, we know of just one farm where flood waters have inundated the hog houses and lagoon. Our processing facilities in the state have reported no major damage and are running again at limited capacity. We will continue to ramp up to full production as roads become passable. For now, however, we are focused on recovery efforts, our people, and caring for our animals.
In the week prior to Hurricane Florence, our farms in the path of the storm proactively lowered lagoon levels in accordance with state regulations and farms' nutrient management plans as necessary. Additionally, we identified and removed animals from the farms in areas threatened by flooding from previous rain events, such as Hurricane Matthew in 2016, prior to landfall of this storm. Furthermore, since Hurricane Floyd in 1999, the industry has taken significant steps to minimize the threat of flooding, including the permanent closure of hundreds of hog lagoons located in flood plains in North Carolina.
“Our hearts go out to those affected by Hurricane Florence, including many members of our Smithfield Family in North Carolina. We are tremendously grateful for the safety and well-being of our employees and their tireless efforts to ensure care for our animals. While some of our farms did experience damage, the impact was relatively minor considering the extreme severity of the storm and our expansive footprint in the state,” said Keira Lombardo, Smithfield Foods senior vice president of corporate affairs. “To aid ongoing disaster-relief efforts in the wake of the storm, we are working with Feeding America through our Helping Hungry Homes® program, and are partnering with additional disaster-relief organizations to provide further assistance.”
We will continue to provide updates as new information is available. The North Carolina Pork Council is also issuing frequent updates on impact across the industry, which are inclusive of our operations. Please click here to read the most-recent information.
About Smithfield Foods
Smithfield Foods is a $15 billion global food company and the world's largest pork processor and hog producer. In the United States, the company is also the leader in numerous packaged meats categories with popular brands including Smithfield®, Eckrich®, Nathan's Famous®, Farmland®, Armour®, Farmer John®, Kretschmar®, John Morrell®, Cook's®, Gwaltney®, Carando®, Margherita®, Curly's®, Healthy Ones®, Morliny®, Krakus®, and Berlinki®. Smithfield Foods is committed to providing good food in a responsible way and maintains robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental and food safety and quality programs. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com, and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Media Contact:
Smithfield Foods, Inc.
Diana Souder
dsouder@smithfield.com
(757) 357-1675