Right now, under a USDA policy called the New Swine Inspection System (NSIS), untrained slaughterhouse workers — not government inspectors — are deciding which pigs are too sick or injured to be slaughtered and enter the food supply.

This change, quietly rolled out in 2019, removed key federal oversight and allowed participating slaughterhouses to speed up their kill lines while reducing the number of USDA inspectors on site. It also shifted critical inspection duties — including identifying diseased animals — to private slaughterhouse employees. These workers often lack adequate training, face high turnover, and operate under intense pressure, with no protection if they speak out.

Animal rights organizations, including Animal Outlook, Farm Sanctuary, and the Animal Legal Defense Fund, are now challenging the policy in court. They argue it violates the Federal Meat Inspection Act, which clearly requires USDA-appointed inspectors — not industry employees — to examine all animals before slaughter.

The consequences are serious:

• Sick pigs may be killed out of view of inspectors, with no guarantee of humane treatment.
• Public health could be put at risk if diseased animals are missed during rushed inspections.
• Animal suffering is more likely when profit-driven facilities self-police under minimal scrutiny.
• The USDA defends the policy as “modernization,” but faster lines and fewer trained eyes are not a recipe for safety — for consumers or animals. Under this system, animals who are too sick to stand may be euthanized without veterinary input, and their deaths may go unrecorded.

We call on USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins to immediately suspend the NSIS program and restore full federal inspection at all U.S. pig slaughterhouses. We also call on Congress to pass legislation prohibiting the delegation of animal inspection duties to industry employees.

Slaughterhouses should not be allowed to police themselves — not when animal lives and public trust are on the line.

Sign now to demand real accountability, humane treatment, and safe food.