The Smithfield Packing Co., Inc., a Smithfield, Va.-based subsidiary of Smithfield Foods, Inc., plans to shift bone-in ham production from its Landover, Md., plant to its facilities in North Carolina and Kentucky, and then permanently close the Landover plant by early fall.

Closing the Landover plant will affect about 175 hourly and salaried employees. Some employees will be offered transfers to other Smithfield Packing facilities. The company also will negotiate with United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union officials regarding other potential opportunities related to this transition.