Lamb Weston is permanently closing its potato processing plant in Connell, impacting its local workforce of around 375 people.

Lamb Weston said production ended on September 30 and work to permanently close the plant has already begun. Workers at the Connell plant produced a variety of french fries and other frozen potato products.

The company says employees are encouraged and supported to apply for positions at other Lamb Weston locations. Job fairs in Kennewick and other locations will be announced in the coming weeks.

The total job cuts represent approximately 4% of Lamb Weston’s global workforce of approximately 10,700 employees.

In a press release, Tom Werner, CEO of Lamb Weston, said: “A supply-demand imbalance in North America and a persistent inflationary environment necessitate these difficult steps. We take any job cuts very seriously and understand the impact these decisions have on employees and communities.” We have been careful to provide transparency and support during the transition, and we thank all of our talented team members and the Connell community for their long-standing support Partnership between breeders and agricultural network.”