The USDA is planning to increase chicken and pork processing line speeds with the goal of speeding up production and reducing costs for producers.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) will extend waivers allowing pork and poultry facilities to maintain higher line speeds, and a rulemaking process will begin immediately. FSIS has been directed to eliminate “outdated administrative requirements,” and will also no longer require plants to submit “redundant worker safety data.” USDA said the data is unnecessary “as extensive research has confirmed no direct link between processing speeds and workplace injuries.”
The National Chicken Council and National Pork Producers Council applauded the proposal.
