FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 19, 2025
Contact: Shane Tan, shane.tan@berlinrosen.com
HEAL Food Alliance Condemns USDA’s Reckless Decision to Increase Poultry and Pork Line Speeds
On Monday, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced new actions instructing the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to allow increased line speeds at pork and poultry plants. Additionally, FSIS will no longer require plants to submit data on worker safety.
In response, the HEAL (Health, Environment, Agriculture, Labor) Food Alliance, issued the following statement:
All government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, have a responsibility to protect the health and safety of our communities. Secretary Rollins’ decision to increase poultry and pork processing line speeds is a reckless move that endangers the physical and mental well-being of the 415,000 people who already work at breakneck speeds in processing plants across the country. It also increases the risk of contamination, threatening the safety of millions of families who consume pork and chicken, turkey, and other poultry.
Food Safety and Worker Health at Risk
Line speeds refer to the rate at which animals are slaughtered and processed per minute on production lines in poultry and meatpacking plants. Increasing these speeds forces workers to process more animals in less time, heightening the risk of injury and contamination.
New research from the Food Chain Workers Alliance shows that compared to the private industry average, animal slaughtering & processing workers were more than twice as likely to be injured on the job. Additionally, a poultry plant line worker can process as many as 14,000 chickens daily, while pork processing plant workers perform the same repetitive task nearly 9,000 times a day. The pressure to meet these quotas often comes at the expense of both worker and consumer safety:
“Poultry workers in the U.S. already face hazardous working conditions while processing birds at the current line speed of 140 birds per minute,” said Alexandra Sossa, Chief Executive officer at Farmworker and Landscaper Advocacy Project. “In order to meet employer-mandated quotas, workers are forced to push their bodies to exhaustion, leading to severe injuries ranging from musculoskeletal disorders and repetitive motion illnesses to deep lacerations and amputations. Giving corporations a free reign to increase line speeds will only make working conditions more dangerous.”
“Rollins claims that food safety is a priority but workers know from experience that the faster the line moves, the more likely the meat is contaminated. It takes time to properly inspect and remove abscesses, contaminants, and other irregularities. Under this new system, workers won’t be able to keep up,” added Axel Fuentes, Executive Director of the Rural Community Workers Alliance. “Recent recalls have occurred when workers reported not having enough time to clean the meat properly. But now, workers, even those who are permanent residents, fear speaking up. Many worry that taking action could cost them their jobs or even make them targets for immigration enforcement.”
A System Rigged for Corporate Profit
“Our current food system is rigged for corporate profit,” said Jose Oliva, Campaigns Director at the HEAL Food Alliance. “Historically, regulatory agencies like the USDA and OSHA at least engaged in oversight, even if imperfectly. Now, a handful of powerful food and agriculture corporations have been given free rein to set their own safety standards, prioritizing profits over the safety and health of everyday people. This decision not only jeopardizes food safety but also deepens the exploitation of an already vulnerable workforce.”
HEAL Food Alliance demands immediate action to reverse this dangerous policy. We call on policymakers, consumers, and allied organizations to be in solidarity with food workers and demand:
- Immediate reinstatement of safety regulations and mandatory reporting on worker health and injuries.
- An end to line speed increases that put both workers and consumers at risk.
- Stronger protections for workers who speak out about unsafe conditions, including safeguards against employer retaliation and immigration enforcement threats.
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The HEAL (Health, Environment, Agriculture, Labor) Food Alliance is a national multi-sector, multi-racial coalition. HEAL is led by its member-organizations, who represent about two million rural and urban farmers, ranchers, fishers, farm and food chain workers, Indigenous groups, scientists, public health advocates, policy experts, and community organizers united in their commitment to transformed food and farm systems.