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| Date of Report (Date of earliest      event reported): March 11, 2010 |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
|                                                                  |
|                                                                  |
| SMITHFIELD      FOODS, INC.                                           |
|                                                                  |

|   | Virginia                                            |   | 1-15321                       |   | 52-0845861                                   |   |
|--------|-----------------------------------------------------|--------|-------------------------------|--------|----------------------------------------------|--------|
|   | (State or other jurisdiction of      incorporation) |   | (Commission File      Number) |   |  (IRS Employer Identification      No.) |   |

|   | 200 Commerce      StreetSmithfield, Virginia        |   | 23430                 |   |
|--------|-----------------------------------------------------|--------|-----------------------|--------|
|   |  (Address of principal      executive offices) |   |  (Zip      Code) |   |

| Registrant's telephone number,      including area code: (757)365-3000 |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|   | o | Written communications pursuant to      Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR  230.425) |
|--------|---|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|   | o | Soliciting material pursuant to      Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR    240.14a-12) |
|--------|---|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|   | o | Pre-commencement communications      pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR      240.14d-2(b)) |
|--------|---|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|   | o | Pre-commencement communications      pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR      240.13e-4(c)) |
|--------|---|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

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| (d) | Press      release, dated as of March 11, 2010, announcing the Registrant’s results      for the third quarter of fiscal 2010, which ended January 31,      2010. |
|-----|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

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|                      | SMITHFIELD FOODS,      INC.                               |
|---------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------|
|                      |                                                      |   |
|                      |                                                      |   |
|                      |                                                      |   |
| Date: March 11,      2010 | /s/ Robert W. Manly,      IV                              |   |
|                      | Robert W. Manly,      IV                                  |
|                      | Executive Vice President and Chief      Financial Officer |

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| Exhibit      99.1 | Press      release, dated as of March 11, 2010, announcing the Registrant’s results      for the third quarter of fiscal 2010, which ended January 31,      2010. |
|-------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

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