USDA Removes Mandatory Lymph Node Cutting and Viscera Palpation in Swine Inspection
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The Food Safety and Inspection Service is finalizing a rule that stops requiring slaughterhouse workers to cut open lymph nodes in pig jaws and press on internal organs before inspection. Instead, inspectors will rely on visual checks alone.
Why it matters: This is mostly an administrative update that shifts how slaughter plants prepare pigs for inspection and how federal inspectors are scheduled. It removes a manual step that industry groups have long called unnecessary and gives FSIS more room to adjust inspector assignments based on daily operations. The practical effect is a slight change in paperwork and workflow for slaughterhouse sorters and federal inspection teams, with no immediate impact on pork prices, line speeds, or consumer safety standards.
Who it affects
- Slaughterhouse sorters and plant workers who currently perform lymph node incisions and organ palpation
This rule was published by the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service in the Federal Register; you should review the full text before relying on it for compliance or operational planning.
Agency: Agriculture Department, Food Safety and Inspection Service
Source: Federal Register — read the official document