Pork
Pork
Pork
Pork
Pork

Rule Change Lifts Hog Processing Limits

Sept. 19, 2019
New federal inspection rules will allow pork slaughterhouses to run lines faster.

New federal inspection rules will allow pork slaughterhouses to run lines faster and decrease the number and roles of USDA inspectors.

The changes, long sought by meatpackers, establish industrywide a program that has been running on a pilot basis at five plants since 1997. Speed limits, currently 1,106 hogs per hour, will be lifted as long as a plant has an adequate system in place for monitoring microbial and other risks. Plant personnel will be allowed to conduct manual sorting of carcasses and parts with visible defects, a task that is ordinarily done by inspectors for the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.

FSIS inspectors will still examine live animals and whole carcasses. All hog slaughter plants, regardless of whether they take advantage of the higher speeds allowed, will be required to establish enhanced microbial testing and other safety procedures. The rule is schduled to take effect in two months.

Industry groups, including the North American Meat Institute and the National Pork Producers Council, hailed the new rule, but consumer and labor advocacy groups denounced it as potentially dangerous for workers and consumers.

Sponsored Recommendations

Revolutionizing Healthcare: The Impact of Digitalization in Biopharma Innovation

Biopharma enables an entirely new level of innovation that’s simply not possible in conventional drug development. It’s an approach that can fundamentally change the way healthcare...

Navigating the Automotive Industry's Electric Future

The automotive industry is at a turning point. Bloomberg estimates that by 2040, 54% of new vehicle sales will be electric. And by 2030, we’re looking at 100% of passenger vehicles...

Unified Process Control Brings Operational Clarity

Inland Empire Utilities Agency replaces its SCADA enterprise system with the PlantPAx Distributed Control System and reduces complexity for operators

PlantPAx DCS Improves Operational Reliability

KC Water calls on R.E. Pedrotti to replace obsolete wastewater SCADA solution with a unified Modern Distributed Control System (DCS).