Swine processing plants operating under a trial of increased line speeds will have an additional 90 days to run at the faster speeds as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) continues to collect and submit data on the impact to workers, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said last week.

The FSIS established the time-limited trials with six swine processors in November 2021 after a judge blocked the higher line speeds from being a component of the USDA's New Swine Slaughter Inspection System (NSIS).

The FSIS said Nov. 28 it has contracted with...