USDA photo by Alice Welch
Chickens are carried through the Holmes poultry slaughterhouse in Nixon, Texas on mechanical arms. USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service inspectors are on site to ensure the chicken is processed in accordance with regulations. Chicken industry hopeful three decades of work will prevail in helping improve food safety efforts.
As part of its regulatory freeze to evaluate the previous administration’s action, the Biden administration issued a temporary freeze on a rule dictating allowable poultry slaughter line speed increases. The rule in question allows establishments to increase line speeds from 140 birds per minute up to 175 bpm.