To: U.S. Department of Agriculture, The United States House of Representatives, and The United States Senate
Unsafe At These Speeds!!
I am asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service to withdraw its proposed rule entitled "modernization of Poultry Slaugher Inspection" which would increase maximum permitted line speeds to up to 175 birds per minute and replace independent federal food safety inspectors with plant employees, at least until the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health( NIOSH ) can study the health and safety impact on public health and workers of increased line speeds before allowing the rule to take full effect.
Why is this important?
In a recent report published by the Southern Poverty Law Center and Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice over 300 poultry workers and past workers interviewed had suffered some type of significant work-related injury or illness because of punishing processing line speeds of up to 150 birds per minute. Now the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service wants to raise the speeds!