U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced new actions to reduce burdens on the U.S. pork and poultry industries on March 17. She says the new measures will allow for greater efficiency while maintaining food safety standards.
The directive instructs the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to eliminate outdated administrative requirements that have slowed production and added unnecessary costs for American producers, USDA said in a release.
“America leads the world in pork and poultry production, and we are committed to ensuring our producers remain competitive on a global scale without being held back by unnecessary bureaucracy,” Rollins says. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are cutting unnecessary red tape, empowering businesses to operate more efficiently, and strengthening American agriculture –all while upholding the highest food safety standards.”
FSIS will extend waivers under the new policy, allowing pork and poultry facilities to maintain higher line speeds, ensuring they can meet demand without excessive government interference.
“Rulemaking to formalize these speed increases will begin immediately,” USDA shares.
Additionally, FSIS will no longer require plants to submit redundant worker safety data, as extensive research has confirmed no direct link between processing speeds and workplace injuries. USDA says these reforms will strengthen U.S. food production, reduce costs for producers, and support a more resilient supply chain.
The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) extended deep appreciation for USDA’s plan to make permanent the New Swine Inspection System (NSIS) increased line speed program.
“America’s pork producers thank U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) for this needed action that will provide financial security and more stability for pork producers,” NPPC President Duane Stateler, a pork producer from McComb, Ohio, said in a release. “Without this program, some pork producers could have incurred an additional loss of nearly $10 a head.”
Since 2019, NPPC has advocated for increased line speeds.
- In November 2021, FSIS permitted increased line speeds at six pork packing plants while simultaneously gathering data to evaluate potential worker impacts.
- In December 2023, FSIS extended the trials for an additional 90 days.
- In February 2024, FSIS again extended the trials through Jan. 15, 2025. In April 2024, USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety Sandra Eskin discussed the pilot program with producers at NPPC’s legislative action conference.
- In May 2024, U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Ranking Member John Boozman (R-AR) introduced his Farm Bill framework, making permanent the program, among several NPPC priorities.
- In January 2025, FSIS released the results of a months-long study at six plants, concluding that “line speeds were not determined to be the leading factor in worker musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) risk at these plants.”
NPPC says it looks forward to continued engagement with Secretary Rollins and FSIS to increase NSIS line speed adoption at additional plants.
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