020105 Smithfield Meat Plants Reopen After SnowstormJanuary 4, 2002 Chicago - Six Smithfield Foods Inc. meat plants in North Carolina and Virginia were back in operation after being closed because of a snowstorm.Smithfield Foods, the nation's largest pork producer, said that three plants in Virginia and three in North Carolina were closed on Thursday after a storm dropped 6 to 12 inches of snow in those states. The closed Virginia plants included two in Smithfield and one in Norfolk. The Smithfield plants produce fresh pork and the Norfolk plant produces hams and smoked meats, industry and company sources said. The closed North Carolina plants were in Kinston, Tar Heel and Wilson. The Tar Heel plant produces fresh pork, while the other two produce processed meats. The closures were reflected in Thursday's low hog slaughter, which the U.S. Agriculture Department estimated at 330,000 head, down from 379,000 a week ago.
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