RI farmer relieved USDA withdrew proposed poultry regulation over salmonella

EAST GREENWICH – Farmer Pat McNiff has one fewer concern this spring since the U.S. Department of Agriculture has withdrawn a proposed rule he mentioned this could have caused small farms to close down.

McNiff, operator of Pat's Pastured farm , in January requested his clients to reach out to the USDA And explain to them how his farm and other similar ones would suffer due to the USDA's plan to alter the method of evaluating salmonella presence in chickens and turkeys.

The American Pastured Poultry Assocation was a key adversary against the regulation, stating it could endanger "access to processing for pasture-raised poultry farmers across the U.S."

"We are thrilled to see the USDA/FSIS (Food Safety and Inspection Service) will not be pursing this deeply flawed proposed rule change," the American Pastured Poultry Association said on Facebook.

Does the withdrawal affect food safety?

Proponents of the regulatory amendment argue that this new rule would have safeguarded public health and indicated a move from responding to disease outbreaks to proactively averting them. Reuters reported .

The USDA stated through an email, "This regulation has never been implemented and remained just a suggestion; hence, it did not impact the security of the food supply system."

McNiff said the proposal would have hurt smaller farmers and also hurt consumers. It would have likely meant less locally sourced food and higher prices.

"I'm glad that went away," he said. "It's one less thing to worry about."

According to the suggested plan, companies such as McNiff that process chickens would have needed to heat-treat poultry contaminated with a specific amount of salmonella, or particular strains of salmonella, prior to distribution. If not, they would be obligated to discard it.

Previously, McNiff stated that this regulation would impose an enormous financial strain on small-scale processors such as himself. Large companies like Tyson Foods and Pilgrim's Pride have the resources to invest in new cooking gear, but for smaller entities like his own operation, adhering to these requirements might force them to shut down.

McNiff stated that the suggested rule was unwarranted since cooking chicken and turkey to the right temperature at home eliminates any presence of salmonella.

Pat's Pastured specializes in raising livestock and operates as one of the limited number of USDA-approved processing facilities within Rhode Island and Southern New England. The company not only processes the animals it breeds but also provides similar services for various farms across Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.

The American Pastured Poultry Association Indicated that there are roughly 30 small-scale fee-for-service slaughterhouses similar to McNiff's operating in the U.S., and rising operational expenses along with liability insurance costs might have led to nearly 40 percent of these facilities shutting down.

The USDA points out the heavy burdens placed on businesses and consumers.

The USDA said via email that it withdrew the proposal following "a thorough review of public comment," deciding, "additional consideration is needed."

"The Biden-era proposal would have imposed significant financial and operational burdens on American businesses and consumers, failing to consider an effective and achievable approach to address salmonella in poultry products," the USDA said.

The FSIS plans to assess if updating the present poultry salmonella performance standards is necessary, according to the USDA.

The proposal was announced by the Biden administration last summer and took three years to develop, Reuters reported.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Rhode Island farmer grateful for USDA decision to revoke proposed poultry rule regarding salmonella