U.S. to allow pork plants to operate faster in trial program

Nine pork plants, including one in Minnesota, can apply to operate faster processing-line speeds under a one-year trial, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said last week after a federal judge in March struck down a Trump-era rule that removed line speed limits.

Faster slaughtering would help meat companies like Smithfield Foods and JBS USA boost pork production at a time of strong demand and high bacon prices.

The companies, and others like Hormel Foods Corp. supplier Quality Pork Processors, are eligible to apply for the trial program because they were previously able to accelerate processing under the earlier rule.

A federal judge invalidated the 2019 rule after the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Union sued the USDA over concerns about worker safety.

Some activists criticized the USDA for starting a new waiver program.

"With this decision, the Biden administration is caving to industry pressure," said Zach Corrigan, senior attorney for Food & Water Watch.

But the UFCW, America's largest union for meatpacking workers, said the program will create a mechanism to collect data that shows how to protect workers and promote food safety.

In the pilot program, plants will implement worker safety measures under agreements with labor unions or worker safety committees, the USDA said.

The nine eligible plants are: Seaboard Foods in Guymon, Okla.; JBS-Swift in Beardstown, Ill.; Quality Pork Processors in Austin, Minn.; WholeStone Farms Cooperative in Fremont, Neb.; Clemens Food Group in Hatfield, Pa.; Clemens Food Group in Coldwater, Mich.; JBS in Ottumwa, Iowa; Tyson Fresh Meats in Madison, Neb.; and Smithfield Packaged Meats in Los Angeles.

Plants will collect data on how line speeds affect workers and share it with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the USDA said. The data could be used to make future rules for the industry.

Pork companies lost 2.5% of their slaughtering capacity following the March court decision, the National Pork Producers Council said.

Workers at one plant that formerly operated without limits — Seaboard Foods' facility in Guymon, Okla. — told Reuters that faster line speeds increased injuries.