News Pigs
Back with a vengeance: speed limit kills US
American slaughterhouses that process pigs must once again prepare for maximum slaughter speed, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports. This is because of a recent court ruling that considers the slaughter speed too high and affects the safety of the slaughter staff.
In 2019, the maximum rate of pig slaughter in the United States (US) was abolished and slaughterhouses could slaughter as many pigs as they wanted. This removed the limit of 1.106 pigs per hour. The United Food and Commercial Workers Union has challenged the repeal of the maximum slaughter rate in 2019, arguing that faster slaughter rate jeopardizes worker safety.
At the end of March, the American court ruled in their favor and thus invalidates the earlier decision to abolish the speed limit. However, the judge has postponed the decision for 90 days to give companies time to adjust. Following the court's ruling, the USDA is again issuing a new guideline for a maximum slaughter rate of 1.106 pigs per hour.
Criticism from the sector
The American slaughterhouses are currently trying to rebuild the pork stock and are not happy with the ruling. Seaboard Foods, the second largest U.S. pork producer, ramped up its slaughter rate at its Oklahoma site last year, becoming the first company to increase its slaughter rate. According to Reuters news agency, workers say the higher speed has increased the number of injuries among staff.
The North American Meat Institute, which represents US slaughterhouses, has warned that the speeding rule could reduce slaughter capacity by 80.000 pigs per week and increase costs for slaughterhouses.
Seaboard foods
Seaboard Foods does not think the 90-day delay is enough and wants a 10,5-month delay. The company states that it must first process the pigs from the production process before it can return to a slower slaughter rate. Seaboard controls pig production including insemination of pigs on a production basis with no speed limits. Seaboard's production over the next 10,5 months is projected to be approximately 126.000 pigs more than it can slaughter at the maximum speed.
Chanti Oussoren
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