U.S. worker, food-safety advocates sound alarm over new hog slaughter rules

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

ENVIRONMENT SEPTEMBER 17, 2019 / 4:09 PM / UPDATED 6 HOURS AGO

U.S. worker, food-safety advocates sound alarm over new hog slaughter rules

Tom Polansek
4 MIN READ

CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. food safety and the health of plant workers will be at risk from new federal rules that allow meat companies to slaughter hogs as fast as they want and shift the role of government inspectors, food and environmental advocates said on Tuesday.

The warnings about the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s first update of inspection procedures at hog slaughterhouses in more than 50 years come after several high-profile recalls in the meat sector.

The USDA earlier on Tuesday published a final version of rules that will eliminate limits on how fast companies such as Tyson Foods and WH Group’s Smithfield Foods can slaughter pigs - a change long sought by meatpackers.

The companies can instead determine their own slaughter speeds based on their ability to prevent fecal contamination and minimize bacteria, according to the rules.

Packers can also have employees, rather than USDA workers, remove meat with certain defects from the slaughtering process. Government inspectors will continue to check all live animals before they are killed as well as meat products after slaughter.

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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-pork-slaughter/u-s-worker-food-safety-advocates-sound-alarm-over-new-hog-slaughter-rules-idUSKBN1W22IV

[Hermit-The-Prog]

1. companies don't mind if a few worker parts end up in the sausage

They consider workers as disposable and easily replaced, unlike time.

[Javaman]

2. The book, "The Jungle" is over 100 years old now and is still relevant. nt

[Doremus]

3. If you needed another reason to stop eating meat here it is.

But everybody gets their pork from the holistic organic farmer down the street, right?