WASHINGTON — The USDA is announcing proposed updates for processing line speeds for poultry and pork producers.
These new proposals are based on years of data and are designed to reduce regulatory barriers that are outdated for meat processors, the department noted.
With the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service maintaining oversight, the agency adds that eligible poultry and pork producers that are operating under modern inspections will be allowed to operate at speeds that are supported by food safety performance, equipment and processes.
“As Secretary, my responsibility is to ensure that American families have access to affordable, safe, and abundant food,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said in the announcement. “These updates remove outdated bottlenecks so that we can lower production costs and create greater stability in our food system. By bringing our regulations in line with proven, real-world capabilities, we are supporting a stronger supply chain, giving producers and processors the certainty they need, and helping keep groceries more affordable for every household.”
The USDA’s announcement adds that the proposal for increased line speeds will also have, “full federal oversight in every establishment and reaffirms the authority of inspectors to slow or stop operations whenever inspection cannot be performed effectively.”
The National Chicken Council notes that research shows that faster evisceration line speeds have not led to increases is food safety or worker safety. NCC recently noted data from the U.S. Department of Labor that injury and illness in poultry processing plants have decreased 90 percent in the past 30 years.
“I want to thank Secretary Rollins and the Trump administration for adhering to science-based principles and following almost 30 years of experience, studies and data on increased line speeds in chicken processing plants,” Harrison Kircher, NCC president said in a statement. “The current patchwork approach has created significant uncertainty for companies and has put our members at a disadvantage globally, where other countries operate at faster speeds.”
“We appreciate the administration’s pro-business approach and for helping to increase the global competitiveness of America’s chicken producers,” Kircher added. “We look forward to providing input as the rulemaking process begins.”
Other countries, like Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada and Germany process at speeds of more than 200 bpm (birds processed per minute) and use the same machinery, “putting the U.S. at a competitive disadvantage in the global marketplace,” NCC added.
“The Meat Institute has supported changes to line speed rules for pork and poultry processing through four administrations,” Julie Anna Potts, Meat Institute president and CEO also said in a statement. “We applaud the leadership of the Trump administration in what we hope will be the final action to modernize FSIS rules and procedures to allow for innovation in processing and to increase production.”
“With this long overdue regulatory certainty, our member companies can invest in their operations to continue growth of the processing sector which benefits the consumer with more affordable and nutritious food,” Potts added.
Public comments will be accepted for 60 days from Feb. 17. More information can be obtained at www.regulations.gov.
