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Poultry Inspection Rules In Focus On Capitol Hill

A bipartisan group of senators is pressuring the U.S. Department of Agriculture to finalize changes to the way poultry is inspected.

The new system is controversial. Advocates say it would save taxpayer money by shifting certain inspection duties from federal employees to company workers and allowing for faster processing. Some inspectors and consumer groups, though, oppose the changes and say it could compromise food safety.

The group of 13 senators sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack earlier this month asking when his department will take action on the new poultry inspection rule and it comes on the heels of a similarletter from four House leaders. The changes in poultry inspection rules are largely supported by the poultry industry.

The HIMP rule, as the new inspection protocols are called, was first introduced in January 2012 and it underwent two public comment periods that year. But it made no public progress at all in 2013. Purdue University food safety professor Manpreet Singh says the process shouldn’t be rushed.

“If this proposed rule come into effect, it is a significant change,” Singh said. “So the government wants to make sure they’re giving enough opportunity for all stakeholders, or all interested parties, to be able to provide comments.”

The slow progress of the HIMP rules is probably a sign of things to come. Singh says it’s entirely possible there will be another period of public comment after announced revisions. After all, there is a lot at stake.

“With our inspection systems, with the type of regulations we have currently, we are considered to be the safest food supply in the world,” Singh said.

That’s a designation both opponents and proponents of the new rules are fighting to protect.

Amy Mayer is a reporter based in Ames. She covers agriculture and is part of the Harvest Public Media collaboration. Amy worked as an independent producer for many years and also previously had stints as weekend news host and reporter at WFCR in Amherst, Massachusetts and as a reporter and host/producer of a weekly call-in health show at KUAC in Fairbanks, Alaska. Amy’s work has earned awards from SPJ, the Alaska Press Club and the Massachusetts/Rhode Island AP. Her stories have aired on NPR news programs such as Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Weekend Edition and on Only A Game, Marketplace and Living on Earth. She produced the 2011 documentary Peace Corps Voices, which aired in over 160 communities across the country and has written for The New York Times, Boston Globe, Real Simple and other print outlets. Amy served on the board of directors of the Association of Independents in Radio from 2008-2015.
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