USDA refuses to lift speed limits from poultry lines
In a move that surprised and pleased food and worker safety advocates, the USDA has denied a bid by the U.S. poultry industry to allow inspection lines to speed up. It was the second defeat for the National Chicken Council (NCC), which had attempted to get the limit raised under the Obama administration.
Citing the need for increased productivity in order for the industry to remain competitive, the NCC had asked the USDA to allow meatpackers operating under the controversial New Poultry Inspection System (NPIS) to run their plants "at any line speed" they deemed appropriate. The change would have given companies considerable latitude over worker safety and food contamination concerns.