The USDA has continued a dangerous Trump-era program that will allow a number of pork processing plants to increase their “line” or “processing” speeds. This means more animals will be slaughtered and prepared for human consumption per minute — at the expense of worker and animal welfare.

The added pressure on the people working at the slaughterhouses to work at excessive speeds makes it more likely for them to suffer significant injures. It also makes it more likely for animal protection laws to be overlooked. This can result in rough and abusive handling, frequent use of electric pods, botched stunning, and careless slaughtering that can cause CONSCIOUS animals to feel excruciating pain.

These farm animals are already terrified and vulnerable. Increasing the potential for greater abuse due to unsafe line speeds is inhumane and cruel. Please, trish, protect worker safety and prevent further animal cruelty by signing the petition against increased line speeds.

Meat factories are already considered an extremely hazardous working environment. Being forced to increase line speeds adds extra stress for these workers and puts them at significantly greater risk of accident and injury.

The animals and plant workers at the slaughterhouses aren’t the only ones whose safety is compromised with increased line speeds. Public health and food safety are also jeopardized when workers are forced to rush. Studies have shown that slaughterhouses operating at faster speeds contained higher rates of contamination from fecal and digestive matter.

The faster the lines are running, the more waste factory machines release, leading to higher air pollution and more agricultural runoff dumped into the ocean.

The negative effects of increasing line speeds at meat factories are far-reaching, and it impacts ALL of us. That’s why your urgent action is required to persuade the USDA to reverse this Trump-holdover policy. Add your name now to tell the USDA to prioritize worker safety and animal welfare above Big Ag’s profits.

Thanks for taking action,
Friends of the Earth