Trump admin looks to allow meat processers to permanently run faster line speeds

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Dive Brief:

• The USDA plans to permanently allow pork and poultry processing plants to operate at faster line speeds, a move long favored by the meat industry but decried by critics for the potential risks to food safety and worker health.
• The department said it will extend waivers allowing certain meat facilities to maintain higher line speeds and immediately begin the rulemaking process to make those increases permanent.
• The USDA also is ending a requirement that companies operating higher line speeds report worker safety data. The information was to be used to determine whether faster production rates contribute to workplace injuries.

Dive Insight:

Meatpackers have for years pushed to speed up processing lines and production rates, arguing that plants need to run faster in order for operations to remain profitable. The National Pork Producers Council said some producers could incur losses of nearly $10 a head without the ability to run faster.

Currently, pork plants can process no more than 1,106 head per hour, though a pilot program allows six producers to operate at higher speeds. In poultry, around 35% of producers in 2023 had waivers to run above the 140 birds per minute threshold.

It's unclear whether the USDA intends to expand or do away with the waiver system entirely. During President Donald Trump's first term, the administration attempted to eliminate line speed limits in pork but was compelled to reinstate the threshold by a 2021 court order.

Labor and food safety groups have fiercely pushed back against higher rates, arguing that faster processing speeds pose risks to worker health and make it harder to spot potential contamination.

“Increased line speeds will hurt workers – it’s not a maybe, it’s a definite – and increased production speeds will jeopardize the health and safety of every American that eats chicken,” said Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which represents more than 15,000 poultry workers at facilities across the southern U.S.

In January, a USDA study found pork and poultry plant workers have a higher risk of getting carpal tunnel syndrome and other musculoskeletal disorders while on the job compared to other manufacturing employees. However, the impact of faster line speeds on injuries was unclear and depended on a facility's staffing levels and equipment deficiencies.

The National Chicken Council said injury rates for poultry workers fell below general manufacturing levels for the first time in 2023, and that “the industry has made significant strides in worker safety.” Plants in other countries including Canada, Germany and Brazil all operate at line speeds above 200 birds per minute, the group noted.

“The current approach has created significant uncertainty for companies with waivers and a competitive disadvantage for those without them,” Harrison Kircher, president of the National Chicken Council, said in a statement. “We appreciate the administration moving to ensure a level playing field and help increase the global competitiveness of the U.S. broiler industry.”

Chicken processors have seen profits soar recently as consumers look for more affordable protein options compared to beef, and the higher demand pressures companies to boost production. While pork producers have also seen opportunities for profits, tariffs and an oversupply of hogs have created new uncertainties.