CARYVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - Officials with a food processing plant, George’s Prepared Foods, announced they were closing their Caryville location, leaving nearly 200 people jobless.

Campbell County Mayor E.L. Morton told WVLT News that he was trying to keep the plant open.

“I have contacted the Tennessee Economic and Community Development staff to request assistance in keeping the plant open or facilitating a sale to another operator,” Morton said. “I have requested Governor Lee’s assistance as well. My primary concern is for the welfare of the dedicated workers who have been the backbone of this operation. Our prayers go out to them as well as our very best efforts to keep them employed in Campbell County.”

Senior Vice President of George’s Food, Robert George, released the following statement about the decision to close the plant:

“Assuring the long-term strength of George’s requires us to carefully consider how our individual business units are performing and to understand their growth potential. It is a challenging time to be in the prepared foods business, and we have been carefully evaluating how we navigate the volatility in beef and pork markets.

We have made the difficult, but necessary, decision to discontinue production at the Campos Foods plant in Caryville, Tennessee, effective September 2, 2022. We have notified the plant community, our customers and team members who are affected by this change.

Caring for our team is a value we firmly hold, and we will work closely with our impacted team members in Caryville to support them as we transition. It is important to know we considered all possible options before coming to this conclusion, and while it is disappointing, it is the appropriate long-term path for our business.

George’s will continue to focus on producing high-quality poultry products and creating a strong and stable future for our business and for those we serve.”

This story was originally published by WVLT News. Copyright 2022 WVLT. All rights reserved.