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Pork, chicken plants allowed to run faster under waivers

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USDA says faster speeds improve efficiency

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Agency plans rulemaking to formalize speed increases

By Tom Polansek and Leah Douglas

CHICAGO/WASHINGTON, March 17 (Reuters) - The Trump

administration said on Monday it plans to permanently allow U.S.

poultry and pork processing plants to operate more quickly,

raising concerns among advocacy groups about worker health and

food safety.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture decision is a victory for

meat companies and industry associations such as the National

Chicken Council, which have advocated for faster processing line

speeds.

However, it adds to health concerns about slaughterhouse

workers, who often perform repetitive tasks with sharp knives

and toil in extreme heat or cold.

USDA will start a process to make permanent higher speeds

that it allows at some facilities under waivers, according to a

statement. Chicken plants with waivers can process up to 175

birds per minute, compared to a previous limit of 140 birds.

The agency also will extend waivers, allowing facilities to

"meet demand without excessive government interference," the

statement said.

USDA's announcement cited a lack of direct links between

processing speeds and workplace injuries, but research shows

that meatpacking workers face a greater risk of serious harm.

Worker unions and other advocacy groups have long argued

that greater speeds threaten food safety and pose a higher risk

of stress injuries and accidents for workers. Immigrants and

undocumented workers often fill meatpacking jobs.

"Increased line speeds will hurt workers - it's not a maybe,

it's a definite," said Stuart Appelbaum, president of the

Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which represents

15,000 poultry workers.

In his first term, President Donald Trump in 2019 issued a

rule that allowed pork plants to run processing lines as quickly

as they wanted. A federal judge blocked the rule in 2021 after a

challenge from worker unions.

The Biden administration in 2023 allowed six pork plants to

operate faster in a trial program for which USDA collected data

on worker injuries.

Making the higher speeds permanent will increase stability

for pork producers, the National Pork Producers Council industry

group said.

USDA-funded data, released in January, found pork and

chicken plant workers face higher risks than other manufacturing

workers for musculoskeletal disorders, such as carpal tunnel

syndrome.

Among six pork plants, higher line speeds were associated

with greater risks for workers at one plant and lower risks at

another, while line speeds did not make a statistically

significant difference at four facilities, according to the

data.

There was no association between greater speeds and higher

risks for poultry workers, the data showed.

Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate

occupational illness cases reported in the animal slaughtering

and processing industry were six times higher than the average

for all industries in 2022.