USDA proposal allows faster speed for poultry processing lines

Industry News

USDA proposal allows faster speed for poultry processing lines

A U.S. Department of Agriculture proposal to increase line speeds at poultry processing plants has raised worker safety concerns.

The USDA's proposal would let plants increase line speeds to 175 birds per minute, up from the current 35 birds per minute.

"To be really clear, the line workers are already at their limit, and so to expect that they're also going to be taking on responsibilities to pull defective carcasses off the line, and there's going to be no negative impact on the health and safety of the workers themselves, it's just illogical," said Catherine Singley, a senior policy analyst for the Washington-based National Council of La Raza, a civil rights and advocacy organization, in aninterview with the Charlotte Observer.

Tyson Foods spokesman Worth Sparkman said Tyson supports the position of the National Chicken Council (NCC) on the USDA's proposed plan to modernize poultry slaughter. The NCC favors having no maximum limits on line speed.

NCC comments submitted to the USDA in response to the proposed faster maximum line speed and other proposals include this statement, "NCC appreciates the agency's recognition that line speeds should not be based on arbitrary numbers, but rather should reflect the ability of plants to maintain process control while ensuring inspection of each carcass.In keeping with this approach, the agency should remove the 175 birds-per-minute line speed limit and instead let establishments run at line speeds at which they can maintain process control while allowing for inspection of each carcass."

Sparkman said the line speed at Tyson's chicken processing complex in Wilkeboro is the same used by the industry, as regulated by USDA.

He said the NCC and its members, incuding Tyson, believe a statistically valid, scientifically-based approach to poultry processing will improve food safety and better protect public health.

"We can also tell you we're pleased with the effectiveness of this streamlined USDA inspection system, which we've been using in two of our poultry plants (one in Arkansas and one in Mississippi) for many years," he said.

"This modified system reduces redundancies between company and USDA inspection efforts, and gives USDA's staff more flexibility to focus on other things that verify the effectiveness of our food safety activities."

He said it meets Tyson food and worker safety standards.

Sparkman noted that federal inspectors have the authority to slow or temporarily stop production if they have food safety concerns.

No data exists to substantiate the assertion that increased line speeds will increase injuries, said Elisabeth Hagen, the undersecretary for food safety at the USDA in the Charlotte Observer article. "We would never put forward something that would inadvertently put others in harm's way," she said.

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