Second extension for USDA pork processing line speed trial

Washington — The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it’s extending a trial of faster line speeds at select pork-processing facilities so it can design a study to assess worker safety.

In a constituent update issued Nov. 28, USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service says the extension will span up to 90 days beyond the previous stop date of Nov. 30.

Data submitted to a team of worker safety experts by facilities participating in USDA’s optional New Swine Slaughter Inspection System for the purpose of a follow-up report “was not sufficient to evaluate the impact of increased line speeds on worker safety,” the constituent update states. NSIS facilities are allowed to operate at speeds faster than the current maximum line speed of 1,106 hogs an hour.

“To obtain the data necessary to inform any future rulemaking, FSIS is commissioning a study that will independently generate the necessary data for expert analysis,” USDA says.

Despite previously acknowledging it had accepted a March 2021 ruling of the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota that prohibits the removal of maximum pork-processing line speeds, USDA that same year initiated a “time-limited” trial allowing for NSIS facilities to apply to operate faster than current maximum line speeds.

The agency required participating facilities to enact worker safety measures included in an agreement with the workers’ union or a worker safety committee representing employees.

In a statement, the National Pork Producers Council applauds the extension, saying the “increased harvest capacity at these trial plants represents more than 3% of national harvest capacity, all without jeopardizing food or worker safety.”

Multiple reports indicate a recent ruling of the Western District of New York upheld the NSIS amid a legal challenge from a coalition of animal rights and environmental advocacy groups. The court said USDA’s implementation of the system was “not arbitrary and capricious,” as the groups charged, while the rationale behind pivoting to the system is sufficient.

The agency previously extended the trial in March.