Washington — A House Republican has introduced legislation that would create a structure to allow pork- and poultry-processing plants to operate at faster line speeds – a move opposed by worker safety advocates.
Sponsored by Rep. Brad Finstad (R-MN), the American Protein Processing Modernization Act (H.R. 5038) would direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture to publish food safety criteria for facilities that operate at faster speeds. Establishments that meet the criteria would be allowed to proceed.
On March 17, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that USDA would initiate rulemaking to “formalize” faster line speeds initially allowed at certain facilities under a trial period. The agency also said it no longer would require plant operators to submit worker safety data, calling it “redundant.”
USDA cites two separate studies, completed in January by its Food Safety Inspection Service, that examined the effects of increased line speeds on poultry- and pork-processing worker safety. FSIS concluded that increased line speeds in processing facilities aren’t the “leading factor in worker musculoskeletal risk” but combine with other factors to contribute to employees’ overall risk.
FSIS announced the poultry study in July 2022, saying the research would inform future rulemaking related to a poultry-line speed waiver issued under the agency’s New Poultry Inspection System. Participating facilities received a modified waiver permitting their line speeds to increase to 175 birds per minute from the current 140.
Four months later, the agency initiated a similar study for pork-processing facilities that allowed certain plants to participate in a trial to operate at speeds exceeding the current maximum line speed of 1,106 hogs an hour. The agency previously had extended to May 15 the waiver and trial.
The legislation is intended to lower “the potential for arbitrary reductions in processing capacity,” a press release from Finstad’s office states.
“Time and time again, our pork and poultry processors have proven that increased line speeds are safe, effective and better for consumers,” Finstad said. “I’m introducing the American Protein Processing Modernization Act to establish a permanent framework that will allow our pork and poultry processors to run at full operational capacity.”
The National Pork Producers Council supports the bill, along with the Meat Institute and the Minnesota Pork Producers Association.
“We’re grateful for Congressman Finstad’s support in helping meat processing facilities run efficiently and safely,” NPPC CEO Bryan Humphreys said in the release.
On the other side, Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, opposes the legislation. In a press release, he called the bill “nothing more than a green light for poultry and meat processing companies to run even faster line speeds, ignoring years of evidence that increased speeds endanger workers and compromise food safety.”
Appelbaum added: “Workers in poultry and meat processing plants already face some of the most dangerous conditions in the country, with high injury rates, repetitive stress disorders and exposure to hazardous conditions. Faster line speeds mean fewer precious seconds to work safely, meaning greater risk of cuts, slips and other serious injuries and, not to mention, less time to ensure food safety.”
Frances Chrzan, senior federal policy manager for the advocacy group Mercy for Animals, told Safety+Health: “Asking workers to move even faster only heightens the likelihood of serious injuries.”
