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| Date      of Report (Date of earliest event reported): December 8,      2009 |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|                                                                              |
|                                                                              |
| 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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| Item      5.02 | Departure      of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of      Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain      Officers |
|----------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| Item      9.01 | Financial      Statements and Exhibits. |
|----------------|-----------------------------------------|

|   | 99.1 | Description      of certain Compensation Committee actions, effective December 8,      2009. |
|--------|------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

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|                         | SMITHFIELD      FOODS, INC.                           |
|------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|
|                         |                                                  |   |
|                         |                                                  |   |
|                         |                                                  |   |
| Date:      December 14, 2009 | /s/      Michael H. Cole                              |   |
|                         | Michael      H. Cole                                  |
|                         | Vice      President, Chief Legal Officer andSecretary |

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| Exhibit      99.1 | Summary      of certain Compensation Committee actions, effective December 8,      2009. |
|-------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

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