The closures, which will lead to layoffs of more than 1,600 people, come as bird flu ravages farms and consumer tastes change.

Cargill is to shut a turkey-processing site in the US in August. The agri-food giant plans to its facility in Springdale in Arkansas at the start of the month. In a statement, Cargill said it will shift “much of Springdale’s production” to other turkey-processing plants in Missouri and Virginia.