WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Andrew Clyde (GA-09) led 34 of his colleagues in sending a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack expressing concerns about and urging the delay of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) rule that will force poultry plants to reduce their line speeds by 25 percent if they decide against opting in to a USDA study by tomorrow, September 1st.

In the letter, Rep. Clyde details the disastrous impact the USDA proposal will have on the poultry industry: “If the Agency forces the industry to cut production, the ripple effects will be disastrous to the consumer of American raised chicken both domestically and abroad, the family farmers that work tirelessly to raise broiler chickens, the health and welfare of millions of broiler chickens, and the industry as a whole.”

“The Biden Administration’s line speed waiver rule forces an unnecessary ultimatum on poultry plants, burdening both consumers and workers already battling supply chain disruptions and 40-year high inflation, for the sake of a vague and intrusive third-party study,” said Clyde. “Given the adverse effects such a rule would impose on the industry and poultry production, it would behoove Secretary Vilsack to delay the compliance date until the USDA has provided substantive answers regarding the rule and study to Congress.”

Co-signers include: Representatives Robert Aderholt (AL-04), Rick Allen (GA-12), Ted Budd (NC-13), Ben Cline (VA-06), Michael Cloud (TX-27), James Comer (KY-01), Rick Crawford (AR-01), Rodney Davis (IL-13), Byron Donalds (FL-19), Tom Emmer (MN-06), Randy Feenstra (IA-04), Drew Ferguson (GA-03), Brad Finstad (MN-01), Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03), Virginia Foxx (NC-05), Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA-14), Bob Gibbs (OH-07), Lance Gooden (TX-05), Andy Harris (MD-01), Clay Higgins (LA-03), Bill Johnson (OH-06), Dusty Johnson (SD-At-Large), Barry Moore (AL-02), Markwayne Mullin (OK-02), Greg Murphy (NC-03), Ralph Norman (SC-05), David Rouzer (NC-07), Austin Scott (GA-08), Adrian Smith (NE-03), Glenn “GT” Thompson (PA-15), David Valadao (CA-21), Randy Weber (TX-14), Bruce Westerman (AR-04), and Steve Womack (AR-03).

Supporting organizations include: National Chicken Council

Read the full letter HERE.

Background

On July 29th, 55 chicken plants that currently participate in a USDA waiver program, which grants accelerated line speeds, received a letter from the USDA stating that within one month, these plants must participate in a study to retain their line speed waivers. 

The study grants a third-party group with access to chicken plants — regardless of their waiver status. Additionally, the group will be authorized by the USDA to video their operations, receive unlimited and unannounced access to the plant, and force the industry to submit heaps of data — on everything from worker safety, OSHA logs, and burdensome paperwork. Plants only received 30 days of notice to compile and redact thousands of pages of data, in order to protect proprietary business information and personally identifiable information related to employees, with no clarity on how that data will be distributed, protected, or assessed by the USDA and the third-party group. 

Furthermore, the USDA has provided no explanation regarding the length of the study, how the collected data will be assessed to determine the future of line speed waivers, an exit plan or timeline for plants that wish to opt out of the study, or additional operational questions in its communications to the poultry processing plants. 

If a processing plant decides to opt out of the study, the USDA’s rule forces the plant to slow production by 25 percent, posing a serious threat to food availability during a time of crippling inflation and supply chain disruptions.

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