Tyson Foods announced its plans in January to replace approximately 12 U.S. federal inspectors at its Holcomb, KS, plant after receiving a waiver.
Tyson asked the USDA in March 2019 for a waiver from inspection requirements, allowing Tyson workers instead of government inspectors to check cattle carcasses for defects or disease before the animals are butchered.
In a statement to Reuters, the USDA said that it would continue to inspect all carcasses and parts while shifting “quality assurance and trimming tasks” to Tyson.
Tyson told Reuters it would hire 15 workers to check carcasses and eventually use cameras and computer imaging to evaluate carcasses.
