Letter to the Hon. Mitch McConnell, Majority Leader and the Hon. Chuck Schumer, Minority Leader - Booker, Colleagues Urge Senate Leaders to Bar USDA From Allowing Meatpackers to Exceed Line Speed Limits

Letter

Dear Majority Leader McConnell and Minority Leader Schumer:
As you consider additional legislative priorities addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, we urge you to
include a directive to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service
(USDA FSIS) to halt higher-speed slaughter and processing systems for poultry, swine, and cattle.
Directing USDA FSIS to retract previously granted approvals and suspend future approvals for
plants to operate at line speeds higher than regulatory maximums and to suspend implementation of
the New Swine Inspections System (NSIS), which allows facilities to operate without any line speed
restrictions, will improve worker and inspector safety, help safeguard animal welfare, and better
protect consumers.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, not only has the Administration failed to protect meat and
poultry workers and inspectors, but FSIS is increasing the safety risks for workers by approving line
speed increases. In just the month of April, FSIS has approved at least 15 new requests from plants
to exceed regulatory line speed maximums. Further, FSIS recently finalized the New Swine
Inspection System, which revokes line speed maximums in slaughterhouses operating under that
inspection model. By increasing slaughter line speeds, plant employees become even more
susceptible to work-related injuries such as repetitive trauma disorders and amputations due to the
need to work faster. Rather than increasing line speeds, the USDA should be working with
processing plants to slow down line speeds in order to accommodate social distancing measures
aimed at reducing the spread of the virus in such plants.
Increased line speeds not only threatens the safety of workers and inspectors but also undermines
the enforcement of federal humane handling laws and regulations, subjecting some animals to rough
handling and the possibility of regaining consciousness after failed stun attempts. Moreover, these
systems jeopardize food safety and the USDA itself has concluded, in the absence of compensating
measures, that higher line speeds result in more pathogen contamination.
Accordingly, we urge you to include language directing FSIS to retract previously granted approvals
and suspend future approvals from poultry and meat plants to operate at speeds exceeding
regulatory caps and to cease implementation of the New Swine Inspection System. In addition,
Congress should direct the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study on how the
USDA has responded to the rapid spread of COVID-19 in meat and poultry slaughter plants,
including an analysis of the impact of faster line speeds on plants' ability to maintain protections for
employees, enforce regulations protecting animals from inhumane slaughter, and uphold food safety.
We thank you for your consideration and close attention to these priorities to support and protect
workers, inspectors, animals, and food safety during this crisis.