Source: Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE, 9/28/18


USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection on Service today added criteria the agency will consider when poultry slaughter plants request a waiver allowing them to run their slaughter lines at a speed faster than 140 birds per minute.

This updated criteria, adding to the agency’s criteria outlined in its Feb. 23 Constituent Update, includes the requirement that broilers be slaughtered in compliance with good manufacturing practices, or “in a manner that will result in thorough bleeding of the poultry carcass and will ensure that breathing has stopped before scalding.”

FSIS issued the additional criteria in response to public comments made on a Sept. 1, 2017, petition from the National Chicken Council asking the agency to exempt young chicken slaughter operations from any line speed limit. The agency in January denied that petition, instead issuing criteria it would consider to grant waivers that would allow operators to run their lines up to 175 birds per minute. The agency said there was no data to support those operators’ ability to maintain process control at line speeds higher than 175 birds per minute. 

FSIS details the additional criteria and waiver program background on the issue in its Federal Register notice.

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