The USDA is trying to put the fox in charge of our hens.
It proposes a new rule that would privatize poultry plant inspections, currently performed by trained federal inspectors. In other words the poultry business would self-regulate, saving itself and the USDA hundreds of millions of dollars.
Along with food safety advocates, FSIS employees and their union, AFGE, are protesting, saying the change would greatly reduce food safety and quality by emphasizing quantity. Participants in a pilot program have already reported “numerous instances” of birds with fecal matter and other problems passing employee inspection, say several sources.
What’s worse, AFGE’s Stan Painter says the new process will require using chemicals with unknown long-term effects to kill poultry bacteria, apparently necessary due to the large number of contaminated chickens that would pass inspection.
There's no excuse for this compromise in food safety. Tell the USDA, don’t privatize chicken inspections.
We, the undersigned, are opposed to your proposal to privatize poultry inspections.
Many of us are outraged enough already at the compromised safety of both chickens and humans (and additional cruelty to chckens) that goes along with factory food production, without you further downgrading food quality by privatizing poultry slaughter inspections.
We believe this plan is about cutting corners and costs, rather than about food safety. Furthermore, the plan would be completely unfair to FSIS employees who would lose their jobs over this change.
We request that you abandon your plan to privatize chicken inspection and appreciate your attention to these concerns.
