The US Department of Agriculture has removed a cap on the speed at which pigs can be slaughtered, in a move which increased fears for animal welfare in the industry.
The White House approved the USDA’s New Swine Slaughter Inspection System (NSIS) to make slaughterhouses more autonomous in their administration.
The agency has been pushing for less federal intervention in regulating pig slaughterhouses for many years.
The new rule removes speed limit caps at pig slaughterhouses and shifts federal inspector responsibilities of animal welfare onto slaughter plant employees.
This means slaughter houses will be less regulated by the government and they will have more freedom to design their own food safety programs.
Speed
The current speed limit is set at 16 hog carcasses per minute, effectively killing 977 pigs in an hour. Critics say the current limit already causes workers to work at an excessive pace and risk injury.
According to a pilot program, the USDA has been allowing five large hog slaughterhouses to operate at higher line speeds with fewer inspectors since 1997.
An undercover investigation by Compassion over Killing (COK) revealed that one of the five slaughterhouses in the pilot program had a speed limit target of killing 1,300 pigs each hour, or one pig every five seconds.
Shocking footage released by COK showed workers beating, shocking, and dragging pigs as they struggled to keep up with line speeds.
Irina Anta, COK’s general counsel, said: “COK’s investigation at a high-speed plant exposed horrible animal abuse, but the agency (USDA) has chosen not only to look the other way but to completely revoke maximum line speeds nationwide.”
‘Unacceptable’
The new rule has met with strong opposition. Food safety and workers’ rights groups have condemned USDA’s move.
Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter said in a press release: “It is irresponsible for the USDA to expand a radical change to food safety responsibility in the pork industry based on a pilot program that clearly failed to show that allowing companies to inspect themselves can produce safe food.
“It is unacceptable to put public health, worker safety, and animal welfare at risk so that the pork industry can run faster lines and avoid government inspection.
“We urge the USDA to withdraw this rule and fulfill its duty to protect food safety.”
What do you think of the USDA’s new rule? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
Lifestyle
Vegan culture, food, beauty & more
Michelin star awarded to a vegan restaurant in France for the first time
- Mohsina Dodhiya
- 19th January 2021
Vegan eatery ONA has also been awarded Michelin’s green star – in recognition of its strong ethical practices. A vegan French restaurant has won a Michelin Guide star, the first for an establishment serving only meat-free products in France. Claire Vallee runs the ONA restaurant in the city of Ares, near Bordeaux, in south-west France. …
Katy Perry tells 109 million followers she and her dog are ‘ready to be 100% vegan’
- Mohsina Dodhiya
- 18th January 2021
Katy Perry has announced she is planning to go vegan this year along with her dog Nugget, who has been slowly changing her diet with her. Katy Perry is turning over a new leaf this 2021. The pop superstar recently announced that she is nearly ready to become a full-time vegan. She also added that …
VEGAN MEMES
NEED A LAUGH?
QUIZZES
All the quizzes you love to binge!
QUIZ: If you score 11/12 on this quiz, you’re a verified vegan food expert
- Marlon Farrugia
- 10th January 2020
How much vegan knowledge do you have stored away? Do you have to Google your way through a shopping trip, or do you have all the bad E-numbers memorised? Find out now with this quiz. Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a dedicated vegan for many years, and …
QUIZ: What is your perfect Vegan Halloween Costume?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 13th October 2019
Spook Season approaches. There will be ghosts, goblins, ghouls, and glucose. You need a costume, and you want to it to show off your personality, which means VEGAN. But what to choose? Take our quiz to find out your perfect outfit. Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a …
QUIZ: What kind of vegetable are you?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 26th September 2019
“If you were a vegetable, what kind would you be?” A question that has tormented humanity throughout the ages – until now. Read: QUIZ: If you score 19/20 on THIS quiz, you’re a Vegan God Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a dedicated vegan for many years, and …