JBS to close California beef plant

The Swift Beef Co. facility in Riverside County, Calif., is permanently closing on Feb. 2, 2026, according to the notice filed with the state this month. The closure will result in layoffs of 374 staff members.

JBS USA – the world’s leading beef producer – owns the Swift brand, and the company’s website says the Riverside location is a value-added manufacturing facility. According to Reuters, JBS said in a statement it is shifting production to other facilities, with employees eligible to transfer to other locations.

Reuters reported that the JBS facility is not a slaughter plant but processes beef for retail and the closure was planned as part of the company’s “strategic initiative to optimize its value-added and case-ready business and simplify operations across its network,” according to the company statement.

Indeed, in its 2025 third-quarter financial results released Nov. 13, JBS reported growth in all of its business units, including the U.S. beef business, with JBS Beef North America reporting record revenue of $7.2 billion despite a tight cattle supply and historically high prices, which the company credited to “resilient domestic demand.”

Still, the timing of the Swift plant closure comes shortly after the stinging news that Tyson Foods will be closing its beef packing plant in Lexington, Neb., and reducing its Amarillo, Texas, beef facility to a single shift starting Jan. 20.