The speed at which poultry is processed in US slaughter plants has been a subject of legal contention for several years, with no resolution in sight.
There are concerns that increasing the processing line speed negatively impacts birds at the point of slaughter and can also heighten safety risks for plant workers.
In 2020, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) found itself embroiled in a legal battle with The Humane Society of the US over granting line speed waivers to 47 poultry plants across various US states in 2018. These plants participate in the New Poultry Inspection System (NPIS) and are permitted a line speed of 175 birds per minute, while all other US poultry plants are required to adhere to 140 birds per minute.
The National Chicken Council reports that increased line speeds of up to 175 birds per minute have been under study for 25 years, with a pilot program initiated during the Clinton administration. The modernized system has undergone thorough study, debate, and review.
The waivers granted in 2018 were initially extended in a modified format until 2022. Subsequently, their expiry date was extended to March 31, 2024. However, this deadline has been pushed further to November 15. The decision to extend was made by the US Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, citing the need for more time to study the issue.
In the legal arena, the US District Court for the Northern District of California ruled in late February that plaintiffs in the 2020 case against the USDA lacked standing.
The judge noted that the regulatory landscape had changed and that the plaintiffs, including The Humane Society of the United States, Mercy for Animals, and several other animal rights groups, had failed to demonstrate that alleged harms were directly linked to the 2018 criteria for waivers. However, the plaintiffs were granted permission to amend their complaint within 21 days.
Regarding alleged harm to birds, the judgment acknowledged that “each step [in the slaughtering process] entails a margin of error such that the intended result at that step is not achieved for a certain number of chickens, but those chickens still proceed to the next step.” These steps include “upside-down shackling on a conveyor line, passage through electrified water to render the chickens unconscious, carotid-artery severing by a blade, and submersion of the deceased chickens into a hot-water tank.”
The Humane Society of the United States and the other plaintiffs have already submitted an amended complaint, and a case conference is scheduled for June.
