NCDA&CS Assistant Commissioner Richard Reich, right, presents a Got to Be NC Agriculture sign to Shuanghui International Chairman Wan Long at a meeting in China.
Executives from the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and North Carolina Pork Council met this week with Shuanghui International’s leadership in China. The meeting was part of a weeklong mission led by NCDA&CS Assistant Commissioner Richard Reich and the department’s international marketing team to strengthen existing business relationships between China and North Carolina. Shuanghui has announced plans to purchase Virginia-based Smithfield Foods, which has a significant number of employees and farmers in North Carolina.
The meeting with Shuanghui included a tour of the company’s Industrial Park in Luohe as well as a meeting with Chairman Wan Long. In the meeting, Chairman Wan reaffirmed his commitment to maintaining Smithfield’s management team, operations and employment agreements as well as upholding the company’s industry-leading safety standards and significant philanthropic efforts.
Advised of the results of the meeting, Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said: “It is nice to hear of Shuanghui’s support of Smithfield’s existing structure. I’m sure Chairman Wan’s comments will be welcomed by the thousands of North Carolinians whose livelihoods depend on Smithfield.”
Pork Council Chief Executive Officer Deborah Johnson, who was at the meeting, said, “We anticipate that the acquisition of Smithfield will lead to expanded overseas sales and more opportunities for the thousands of North Carolinians who work in the pork production chain.”
The delegation visiting Shuanghui also included representatives from Archer Farms of Wayne County and the National Pork Board. During the tour, the delegation was shown a Shuanghui slaughtering operation, pasteurized and retorted products production and packaging of meat products.