Pork processors are preparing to slow down their lines in accordance with new USDA regulations, while warning that it could lead to a backlog of hogs.
The USDA rolled back a waiver, granted in 2019, that allowed certain pork plants to exceed the previous limit of 1,106 hogs per hour, as long as certain safety protocols were in place. The rollback came after a federal judge ruled that USDA had acted improperly in removing the cap.
Industry groups are urging the Biden administration to appeal the court’s ruling, while meatpacker unions and others want it to stand. The administration will only say that it is reviewing the ruling, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The North American Meat Institute says that if the fastest pork processing plants are forced to return to the 1,106-per-hour cap, it will lead to a backlog of 80,000 hogs.
