USDA rejects request for faster pork slaughterhouse speeds

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture has declined a request by the pork industry to increase the speed at which pigs can be processed into meat.

The ruling is a victory to slaughterhouse workers who had raised safety concerns about the plan.

The USDA announced Wednesday it would enforce a Minnesota judge’s order issued in March. The judge struck down plans finalized by the USDA under former President Donald Trump’s administration that would have lifted maximum line speeds at pork slaughterhouses, allowing dozens of plants to speed up production.

The judge found the USDA acted arbitrarily and capriciously when it refused to consider the impact of faster line speeds on worker safety.