Hundreds Of Job Losses Announced At Large Meat-Packing Plant In Riverside

RIVERSIDE, CA — Global meat-packing giant JBS will permanently close its Riverside facility, resulting in nearly 400 local jobs lost.

JBS will shutter its Swift Beef Company facility at 15555 Meridian Parkway on Feb. 2, eliminating 374 jobs, according to a Dec. 3 notice filed by the company with California's Employment Development Department.

The closure is "part of a strategic initiative to optimize its value-added and case-ready business and simplify operations across its network," according to a JBS statement.

JBS will shift production to other facilities, and workers will be eligible for jobs at other plants, the statement said. It's unclear how many employees will relocate. JBS has a Torrance facility, but no other California locations.

Tight cattle supplies have raised costs for meatpackers. Last month, JBS executives projected its U.S. beef margins would likely shrink in the fourth quarter from the prior period due to the U.S. cattle shortage.

In January, rival meatpacker Tyson Foods will close a major cattle slaughtering plant in Nebraska that employs about 3,200 people.

Costs are way up for beef consumers, and expenses for America’s ranchers are soaring, too. Input costs for beef producers have increased by more than 50% over the past five years, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

A major driver of rising beef prices is the record-low cattle supply in the U.S.: The start of 2025 saw the smallest national herd since 1951.

Also, a rapidly evolving tariff situation driven by the Trump administration, coupled with parasitic cattle infections in Mexico, is further driving up consumer prices.