National Beef Packing Co. has announced that it will lay off 283 workers in its plant in Moultrie, Ga., as well as 150 workers at a facility in Hummel’s Wharf, Pa. Last fall, the company lost WalMart as a major customer of meat products packed at the facilities.

“National Beef was notified in October by one of its key customers that it would transition away from using National Beef as a supplier of case-ready beef,” the company said in a statement sent to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Today, there are no plans to close the Hummel’s Wharf or Moultrie facilities; however, they will begin to operate at reduced levels.”

Before the layoff announcement, the Moultrie facility employed more than 450 workers, up from 120 when it opened in 2001. The 433 layoffs at both plants will become effective on April 13, the company said.

Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution