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Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ.) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT.) reintroduced bills into the Senate and House respectively to prevent USDA issuing waivers to increase broiler and hog processing line speeds.

The intent of the Safe Line Speeds in COVID-19 Act would include the following provisions:

• Directing the Secretary of Agriculture to suspend existing waivers relating to line speed during the pandemic
• Suspend the implementation of and conversion to the New Swine Slaughter Inspection System

• Prevent any federal agency from implementing any policy or regulation that would allow increased line speeds during the COVID-19 period
• Require the Government Accountability Office to issue a report after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic to review actions taken by the Department of Labor/OSHA, Department of Health and Human Services and the USDA with regard to the protection of worker safety

The bill introduced by Sen. Booker and Rep. DeLauro has met with support from welfare agencies that have cynically introduced COVID as a justification to pressure USDA-APHIS to deny more efficient use of facilities.  The increase in line speed from 140 to 175 birds per minute will be accomplished more by mechanization than manual labor.