Eugene Meatpacker Closes, Lays Off 142 Workers

Bartels Packing notified employees Friday that the Eugene meatpacker would close two facilities and lay off all 142 workers, effective immediately.

"As you may know, the recent performance of the company has been disappointing," Chris Bartels, the plants' chief executive, wrote in a note to employees. He said difficulties included falling sales, accumulating inventory and the loss of a major customer.

All that coincided with a line of credit coming due, Bartels wrote in a letter provided to state workforce officials. The company and its representatives did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

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