SUBSEQUENT EVENTS	12 Months Ended
Apr. 28, 2013
Subsequent Events [Abstract]
SUBSEQUENT EVENT	SUBSEQUENT EVENTS Definitive Merger Agreement On May 28, 2013, we entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the Merger Agreement) with Shuanghui International Holdings Limited, a corporation formed under the laws of the Cayman Islands (Shuanghui) and Sun Merger Sub, Inc., a Virginia corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of Shuanghui (Merger Sub and, together with Shuanghui, the Parent Parties), pursuant to which Merger Sub will merge with and into the Company (the Merger), with the Company surviving the Merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of Shuanghui. Shuanghui is the majority shareholder of Henan Shuanghui Investment & Development Co., which is China's largest meat processing enterprise and China's largest publicly traded meat products company as measured by market capitalization. Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, which has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies, Shuanghui will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Smithfield for $34.00 per share in cash. Upon completion of the Merger, all then-outstanding stock-based compensation awards, whether vested or unvested, will be converted into the right to receive cash of $34.00 per share (without interest), less the exercise price of such awards, if any. The Merger Agreement contains certain termination rights for the Company and Shuanghui. Upon termination of the Merger Agreement under specified customary circumstances, the Company will be required to pay Shuanghui a termination fee. If the Merger Agreement is terminated in connection with the Company entering into an alternative acquisition agreement in respect of a superior proposal or making a change of recommendation, or in certain other customary circumstances, the termination fee payable by the Company to Shuanghui will be $175.0 million. Under specified circumstances, if the Company enters into a definitive agreement with a Qualified Pre-Existing Bidder with respect to an alternative acquisition proposal on or before June 27, 2013, the amount of the termination fee will instead be reduced to $75.0 million. The Merger Agreement also provides that Shuanghui will be required to pay the Company a reverse termination fee of $275.0 million (which is not exclusive in the case of a willful breach) if the Merger Agreement is terminated under certain circumstances in connection with a willful breach by Shuanghui, termination primarily caused by the failure to obtain required U.S. or foreign antitrust or other regulatory approvals (other than CFIUS), or termination as a result of the failure by Shuanghui to receive the proceeds of its committed debt financing and consummate the Merger. The Merger will be financed through a combination of cash provided by Shuanghui, rollover of certain existing Company debt, as well as debt financing which has been committed by Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, Inc. and a syndicate of banks. The Merger Agreement does not contain a financing condition. The closing of the Merger is subject to certain conditions, including, among others, approval by our shareholders, the receipt of approval under applicable U.S. and specified foreign antitrust and anti-competition laws, and if review by CFIUS has concluded, the absence of any action by the President of the United States to block or prevent the consummation of the Merger and other customary closing conditions. The Merger is expected to close in the second half of calendar 2013. Kansas City Sausage, LLC In May 2013 (fiscal 2014), we acquired a 50% interest in Kansas City Sausage Company, LLC (KCS), for $35.0 million in cash, subject to a customary post-closing adjustment for differences between working capital at closing and an agreed-upon target. Upon closing, in addition to the cash purchase price, we advanced $10.0 million to the seller in exchange for a promissory note, which is secured by the remaining membership interests in KCS held by the seller. Additionally, we entered into a revolving loan agreement with KCS, under which we agreed to make loans from time to time up to an aggregate principal amount of $20.0 million. The aggregate amount of any obligations incurred under the revolving loan agreement is secured by a first priority security interest in all of the assets of KCS. KCS is a leading U.S.sausage producer and sow processor. We intend to merge KCS's low-cost, efficient operations and high-quality products with our strong brands and sales and marketing team to continue to grow our packaged meats business. The venture will operate in Des Moines, Iowa and Kansas City, Missouri. In Des Moines, the venture will produce premium raw materials for sausage, as well as value-added products, including boneless hams and hides. The Kansas City plant is a modern sausage processing facility in the U.S. and is designed for optimum efficiency to provide retail and foodservice customers with high quality products. With our strong ongoing focus on building our packaged meats business, and with 15% of the U.S. sow population, this joint venture is a logical fit for the Company. It will provide a growth platform in two key packaged meats categories — breakfast sausage and dinner sausage — and will allow us to expand our product offerings to our customers. These categories represent over $4.0 billion in retail and foodservice sales annually.

SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

Definitive Merger Agreement

On May 28, 2013, we entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the Merger Agreement) with Shuanghui International Holdings Limited, a corporation formed under the laws of the Cayman Islands (Shuanghui) and Sun Merger Sub, Inc., a Virginia corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of Shuanghui (Merger Sub and, together with Shuanghui, the Parent Parties), pursuant to which Merger Sub will merge with and into the Company (the Merger), with the Company surviving the Merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of Shuanghui.

Shuanghui is the majority shareholder of Henan Shuanghui Investment & Development Co., which is China's largest meat processing enterprise and China's largest publicly traded meat products company as measured by market capitalization.

Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, which has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies, Shuanghui will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Smithfield for $34.00 per share in cash. Upon completion of the Merger, all then-outstanding stock-based compensation awards, whether vested or unvested, will be converted into the right to receive cash of $34.00 per share (without interest), less the exercise price of such awards, if any.

The Merger Agreement contains certain termination rights for the Company and Shuanghui. Upon termination of the Merger Agreement under specified customary circumstances, the Company will be required to pay Shuanghui a termination fee. If the Merger Agreement is terminated in connection with the Company entering into an alternative acquisition agreement in respect of a superior proposal or making a change of recommendation, or in certain other customary circumstances, the termination fee payable by the Company to Shuanghui will be $175.0 million. Under specified circumstances, if the Company enters into a definitive agreement with a Qualified Pre-Existing Bidder with respect to an alternative acquisition proposal on or before June 27, 2013, the amount of the termination fee will instead be reduced to $75.0 million. The Merger Agreement also provides that Shuanghui will be required to pay the Company a reverse termination fee of $275.0 million (which is not exclusive in the case of a willful breach) if the Merger Agreement is terminated under certain circumstances in connection with a willful breach by Shuanghui, termination primarily caused by the failure to obtain required U.S. or foreign antitrust or other regulatory approvals (other than CFIUS), or termination as a result of the failure by Shuanghui to receive the proceeds of its committed debt financing and consummate the Merger.

The Merger will be financed through a combination of cash provided by Shuanghui, rollover of certain existing Company debt, as well as debt financing which has been committed by Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, Inc. and a syndicate of banks. The Merger Agreement does not contain a financing condition.

The closing of the Merger is subject to certain conditions, including, among others, approval by our shareholders, the receipt of approval under applicable U.S. and specified foreign antitrust and anti-competition laws, and if review by CFIUS has concluded, the absence of any action by the President of the United States to block or prevent the consummation of the Merger and other customary closing conditions.

The Merger is expected to close in the second half of calendar 2013.

Kansas City Sausage, LLC

In May 2013 (fiscal 2014), we acquired a 50% interest in Kansas City Sausage Company, LLC (KCS), for $35.0 million in cash, subject to a customary post-closing adjustment for differences between working capital at closing and an agreed-upon target. Upon closing, in addition to the cash purchase price, we advanced $10.0 million to the seller in exchange for a promissory note, which is secured by the remaining membership interests in KCS held by the seller. Additionally, we entered into a revolving loan agreement with KCS, under which we agreed to make loans from time to time up to an aggregate principal amount of $20.0 million. The aggregate amount of any obligations incurred under the revolving loan agreement is secured by a first priority security interest in all of the assets of KCS.

KCS is a leading U.S.sausage producer and sow processor. We intend to merge KCS's low-cost, efficient operations and high-quality products with our strong brands and sales and marketing team to continue to grow our packaged meats business. The venture will operate in Des Moines, Iowa and Kansas City, Missouri. In Des Moines, the venture will produce premium raw materials for sausage, as well as value-added products, including boneless hams and hides. The Kansas City plant is a modern sausage processing facility in the U.S. and is designed for optimum efficiency to provide retail and foodservice customers with high quality products. With our strong ongoing focus on building our packaged meats business, and with 15% of the U.S. sow population, this joint venture is a logical fit for the Company. It will provide a growth platform in two key packaged meats categories — breakfast sausage and dinner sausage — and will allow us to expand our product offerings to our customers. These categories represent over $4.0 billion in retail and foodservice sales annually.