House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson and Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Chairman John Boozman have expressed support for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) proposed rules aimed at updating federal line speed regulations in poultry and swine processing plants.
In a joint statement, Thompson and Boozman said: “We are pleased to see USDA take this next step to modernize and provide much needed certainty to our pork and poultry supply chains. America’s meat and poultry companies continue to set the gold standard worldwide for food and worker safety. These proposed rules, grounded in decades of research, will ensure our regulatory system reflects the latest science by establishing a long-term pathway for eligible producers to operate at increased line speeds, improving efficiency while maintaining the same rigorous food and worker safety standards. We look forward to continuing to work with the administration as the rulemaking process continues.”
The background of this announcement includes calls from Senate and House Republicans in 2023 urging USDA to offer clarity for meat and poultry facilities during implementation of Time-Limited Trials. Lawmakers also sought a plan that would allow these plants to run at higher line speeds.
The House Committee on Agriculture plays an important role in overseeing agricultural production, marketing, forestry, nutrition programs, rural development, crop insurance policies, as well as supervising agencies such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (official website). The committee works on legislation supporting conservation efforts, economic development in rural areas, food safety programs, nutrition assistance initiatives like the farm bill, crop insurance systems and agricultural trade policy (official website).
Glenn Thompson currently serves as chairman of this longstanding committee (official website), which is among the oldest standing committees in Congress (official website). The committee supports farmers across the United States through hearings addressing issues faced by rural communities (official website).
