U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has announced new measures aimed at streamlining operations in the U.S. pork and poultry industries. The directive focuses on removing outdated administrative requirements, with an emphasis on maintaining food safety standards while enhancing production efficiency.
Rollins stated, "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." She emphasized that under President Trump's leadership, efforts are being made to cut red tape and empower businesses to operate more efficiently while upholding high food safety standards.
The new policy includes directives for the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to extend waivers that allow facilities to maintain higher line speeds. This move is intended to help meet demand without excessive government interference. The process of formalizing these speed increases through rulemaking will commence immediately.
Additionally, FSIS will stop requiring plants to submit redundant worker safety data. This decision follows extensive research indicating no direct link between processing speeds and workplace injuries. These changes aim to bolster U.S. food production, reduce costs for producers, and support a more resilient supply chain.
