Safe Food Coalition Opposes Proposal to Deregulate Hog Slaughter Line Speeds Without Food Safety Countermeasures

CFA joined members of the Safe Food Coalition in opposing a proposed rule from USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service that would lift line speed caps on hog slaughter plants without any corresponding food safety protections. The proposal would also eliminate a reporting requirement on how plants operating at the higher line speeds are ensuring worker safety. As the comment explains, unsafe working conditions create food safety risks. Pork causes a growing and disproportionate share of foodborne illness, particularly salmonellosis. However, the proposal fails to address the absence of any applicable pathogen standard to hog slaughter.