U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture
01/10/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/10/2025 17:50
Thompson, Boozman Statement on Results of USDA’s Worker Safety Studies
House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Glenn "GT" Thompson (PA-15) and Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Ranking Member John Boozman (R-AR) issued the following statement on USDA's studies that found no correlation between poultry and swine processing line speeds and worker safety:
"It's reassuring to see independent studies proving that higher line speeds are not a leading factor in risks to worker safety in pork and poultry processing plants. U.S. meat and poultry companies have the highest worker safety and food safety standards in the world, which the conclusion of these long-awaited studies confirms. It's unfortunate the Biden-Harris administration allowed the study team to go far beyond its original parameters and attempted to villainize the industry to reach this conclusion, while leaving our nation's protein sector without a clear path forward on its ability to operate safely and efficiently. We look forward to working with the incoming Trump administration to develop a long-term solution to ensure meat and poultry companies have the certainty they need to produce high-quality protein, while continuing to meet rigorous food safety and worker safety standards."
Background:
Senate and House Republicans called on USDA to provide certainty to meat and poultry plants throughout the department's implementation of the Time-Limited Trials and to provide a path forward that would allow them to operate at increased lion speeds. Senate Republicans' Farm Bill framework announced in 2024 would provide a permanent solution to ensure pork and poultry processing facilities are able to maintain full and operational capacity.
"It's reassuring to see independent studies proving that higher line speeds are not a leading factor in risks to worker safety in pork and poultry processing plants. U.S. meat and poultry companies have the highest worker safety and food safety standards in the world, which the conclusion of these long-awaited studies confirms. It's unfortunate the Biden-Harris administration allowed the study team to go far beyond its original parameters and attempted to villainize the industry to reach this conclusion, while leaving our nation's protein sector without a clear path forward on its ability to operate safely and efficiently. We look forward to working with the incoming Trump administration to develop a long-term solution to ensure meat and poultry companies have the certainty they need to produce high-quality protein, while continuing to meet rigorous food safety and worker safety standards."
Background:
Senate and House Republicans called on USDA to provide certainty to meat and poultry plants throughout the department's implementation of the Time-Limited Trials and to provide a path forward that would allow them to operate at increased lion speeds. Senate Republicans' Farm Bill framework announced in 2024 would provide a permanent solution to ensure pork and poultry processing facilities are able to maintain full and operational capacity.