U.S. changes rules to ease restrictions on pork processors

DES MOINES, Iowa — The federal government has finalized rules for most U.S. pork processing plants to remove limits on the speed of production lines and place more animal inspection and food safety tasks with company employees.

The pork industry said the first significant processing-rule changes in 50 years were long overdue. The changes were finalized Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Advocacy groups for workers, animals, consumers and the environment said the changes will endanger workers, increase suffering for pigs and threaten the food supply.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said the changes ensure food safety while eliminating outdated rules and allowing companies to innovate.

The USDA estimates average annual savings of $3.78 million for large pork processing plants as they increase production by 12.5%.

Among the critics is the advocacy group Food & Water Watch, which said President Donald Trump’s administration is prioritizing the meat industry’s interests over food safety.

The changes come as the deadly African swine fever virus is ravaging herds in China, the biggest producer and consumer of pork. An unprecedented supply gap is

expected to emerge as early as next year, and American hog producers are keen to fill the demand. There are already signs of pork shortages in China, with protein prices there hitting records.

Pork packers in the U.S. are already doing well as ample supplies keep down the market prices for animals. According to data from agribusiness research firm HedgersEdge, packers are making $40.30 a head, the highest this year.

The National Pork Producers Council and the North American Meat Institute praised the rule changes. Under the new inspection system, which is voluntary, government meat inspectors will have “more time to focus attention on verifying food safety and animal welfare requirements, and will stimulate food safety innovation,” the meat institute said in a statement.

National Pork Producers Council President David Herring, a producer from Lillington, N.C., said the new system “incentivizes investment in new technologies while ensuring a safe supply of wholesome American pork.”

But others raised concerns. More inspections will be done by the private companies rather than by government inspectors, said Patty Lovera, a program director for Food & Water Watch. That’s a flawed idea that could affect food safety, she said.

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union has said increasing line speeds is dangerous to workers in pork plants. Amanda Hitt, director of food integrity at the Government Accountability Project, said the new rules risk more repetitive-motion injuries to line workers and rely too much on private employees who don’t have whistleblower protection to raise food safety issues.