During a House Appropriations Committee hearing Tuesday, Democrats ordered the USDA's inspector general to investigate data used when the agency developed the new program. An investigation "could delay the proposal by months and, depending on the findings, could lead to changes or a withdrawal of the proposal, experts said," Kimberly Kindy reports for The Washington Post.
The plan, which the USDA proposed in February, was expected to be finalized this summer. It would reduce the number of federal inspectors on slaughter lines by about 40 percent and would save the agency an estimated $6 million annually; eliminating the cap on line speeds would increase profits by more than $2 million each year. But Democrats on the committee said it isn't a good idea. "I believe it would endanger food safety, worker safety and animal welfare," said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., who introduced the order as an amendment to the USDA's 2020 budget.
"The amendment calls for an investigation into all data used by the USDA to develop the proposal, including worker-safety data that was not publicly disclosed until after the closure of the public review and comment period for the proposed rule," Kindy reports. "It also said no federal funds should be used for the new system unless any problems identified by the inspector general were first addressed."
The appropriations bill must now clear the House and Senate, Kindy reports.
from The Rural Blog http://bit.ly/2ESjqSG House Appropriations Committee Dems seek investigation into safety of proposal to revamp hog plant inspections - Entrepreneur Generations
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