Washington — Trump’s Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued proposed rules to gut slaughterhouse line speed regulations at poultry and pork processing facilities. If finalized, the poultry rule would allow for slaughter rates of up to 175 chickens per minute (up from 140 today) and 60 turkeys per minute (up from 55); the pork plant rule would eliminate line speed caps altogether. High slaughterhouse line speeds threaten food safety, clean water, worker safety, and animal welfare. Both proposed rules also announce the Trump Administration’s intent to remove requirements that slaughterhouses confirm they implement programs to monitor worker conditions. 

Public comment periods on the proposed rules will end 60 days after they are published.

In response, Food & Water Watch Staff Attorney Dani Replogle issued the following statement:

“Corporate poultry and hog processing plants are hotbeds for disease and antibiotic resistance. To protect workers, consumers, and animals, these dangerous facilities need more oversight — not less. Speeding up slaughterhouses will put unsafe food on grocery store shelves, create more pollution, and make one of the most dangerous jobs in the country even riskier.

“Once more, Trump’s pro-corporate deregulatory blitz is set to make Americans very, very sick. We will not tolerate endangering our food supply and vulnerable workers just to pad the meatpacking industry’s pockets.”

The proposed rule is the latest Trump Administration move to gut federal food safety regulations. USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) lost approximately 8 percent of its workforce in 2025; further cuts are possible.

The move jeopardizes clean water and public health. Dead animals and solids in slaughterhouse waste are often contaminated with bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other toxins that can infiltrate food and pollute water. Increasing processing rates will increase the overall number of animals slaughtered, further exacerbating slaughterhouse pollution. 60 million people live within one mile of slaughterhouse polluted waterways. Food & Water Watch and allies are suing the Administration over its decision to abandon a rulemaking to reduce slaughterhouse water pollution.

High line speeds are a clear threat to slaughterhouse workers, whose jobs are among the nation’s most dangerous. A federal court tossed out the Trump Administration’s previous attempt to increase slaughterhouse pork processing line speeds due to worker safety concerns.