March 26/Landover, Md./Press Release -- The Smithfield Packing Company Inc., a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods Inc., announced it plans to shift bone-in ham production from its Landover, Md., plant to its facilities in North Carolina and Kentucky, and then permanently close the Landover plant by early fall.

Closing the Landover plant will affect about 175 hourly and salaried employees. Some employees will be offered transfers to other Smithfield Packing facilities, and the company also will negotiate with United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union officials regarding other potential opportunities related to this transition.