en.Wedoany.com Reported - The US Food Safety Inspection Service is soliciting comments on a proposal to adjust line speeds in meat processing facilities, with industry groups supporting faster speeds to enhance competitiveness and unions expressing concerns over worker health risks. The public comment period for the proposal ended Monday, addressing changes to speed caps for poultry and pork processing plants, as well as the elimination of safety certification requirements.
Ashley Peterson, Senior Vice President of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs at the National Chicken Council, noted in her comments: "The equipment currently used for evisceration can operate safely and efficiently at speeds well exceeding 220 birds per minute." She argued that increasing line speeds would bring economic and competitive advantages and called for the complete removal of poultry speed limits to boost the US industry's global competitiveness.
Suzanne Finstad, Vice President of Food Safety and Quality Assurance at Tyson Foods, stated that the proposed changes align with modernization approaches, allowing processors to optimize operations. However, Milton Jones, President of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, cited research indicating that faster speeds could increase the risk of musculoskeletal disorders among workers. He wrote: "The proposed rule raises the upper limit of line speeds in poultry plants, which will endanger the health and safety of tens of thousands of workers in the poultry industry."
The Food Safety and Inspection Service's research showed no direct correlation between worker pain reports and line speeds, but found that risk was linked to the number of parts handled. On the pork rule, Ashley Johnson, Director of Food Policy at the National Pork Producers Council, supported faster speeds, stating that assessments confirm factories can maintain process control. Pork processing is currently capped at 1,106 head per hour, and related rules were revoked by a court in 2021.
Both proposals seek to eliminate the annual certification requirement for worker safety plans, which Johnson argued falls under the jurisdiction of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The controversy over line speed adjustments highlights the balancing challenge between industry efficiency and worker protection, with the final rule set to be determined after comprehensively considering all comments.
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