U.S. Backs Contentious Meat-Plant Change With Supply at Risk
- Some poultry plants are allowed to increase line speeds
- Critics say the move puts workers under more pressure
Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg
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As American meat producers are forced to shutter and slow output at plants amid coronavirus outbreaks, the U.S. government is giving companies a green light to run some facilities at higher speeds -- something experts and labor advocates have long said is dangerous for workers.
In April, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service allowed five poultry plants -- two owned by Tyson Foods Inc., and three by Wayne Farms LLC -- to run their slaughter lines at higher speeds. The agency also gave approval to Foster Farms in March.