Wayzata-based Cargill, Inc., announced earlier this week plans to close its meat-packing facility in Toronto, Ontario. The plant will cease operations next spring.

Cargill said that the closure will impact 600 unionized employees and 90 management positions, and the company “will take every necessary measure to ensure that every one of its employees has access to career transition and personal and family support.”

A significant number of the employees is nearing retirement, the company added.

The move comes as Cargill realigns its Canadian operations and expands a processing plant in Guelph, Ontario-which will create 200 new jobs.

Cargill has similar operations in Calgary, Alberta, and Chambly, Quebec, which will not be effected by the closure of the Toronto facility.

“The decision to discontinue operations at the Toronto facility was very difficult; however, it was made knowing we had the ability to optimize our supply chain and provide real and enhanced value through leveraging our existing operations in Guelph,” Jason Kuan, vice president and general manager for Case Ready Canada, said in a statement.

Winnipeg, Manitoba-based Cargill Limited operates the Toronto facility. The division employs more than 10,000 people in Canada.

Cargill is an international provider of food, agricultural, financial, and industrial products and services. It employs 131,000 people in 66 countries and is Minnesota's largest private company based on its revenue, which totaled $107.9 billion in its most-recently completed fiscal year.