EXHIBIT 99.1

               STATEMENT UNDER OATH OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER
                        RELATING TO EXCHANGE ACT FILINGS

I, Joseph W. Luter, III, state and attest that:

(1)     To the best of my knowledge, based upon a review of the covered reports
        of Smithfield Foods, Inc. (the "Company"), and except as corrected or
        supplemented in a subsequent covered report:

o    no covered report contained an untrue statement of a material fact as of
     the end of the period covered by such report (or in the case of a report on
     Form 8-K or definitive proxy materials, as of the date on which it was
     filed); and

o    no covered report omitted to state a material fact necessary to make the
     statements in the covered report, in light of the circumstances under which
     they were made, not misleading as of the end of the period covered by such
     report (or in the case of a report on Form 8-K or definitive proxy
     materials, as of the date on which it was filed).

(2)     I have reviewed the contents of this statement with the Company's audit
        committee.

(3)     In this statement under oath, each of the following, if filed on or
        before the date of this statement is a "covered report":

o    the Annual Report on Form 10-K of the Company filed with the Securities and
     Exchange Commission (the "Commission") for the year ended April 28, 2002;

o    all reports on Form 10-Q, all reports on Form 8-K and all definitive proxy
     materials of the Company filed with the Commission subsequent to the filing
     of the Form 10-K identified above; and

o    any amendments to any of the foregoing.


Dated:  July 29, 2002                             /s/ Joseph W. Luter, III
                                                  ------------------------------
                                                  Joseph W. Luter, III

Subscribed and sworn to before me this 29th day of July, 2002.

                                                  /s/ Lisa R. Butler
                                                  ------------------------------
                                                  Notary Public

My commission expires:  September 30, 2003
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