(NAFB) – The National Pork Producers Council commended the Department of Agriculture for allowing some pork packing plants to run faster line speeds.

NPPC says the move could increase packing capacity and alleviate supply issues in the face of strong demand.

NPPC President Jen Sorenson says, “This is particularly important now given the strong demand for pork, supply chain problems and our industry’s packing capacity constraints.”

The announcement last week allows Nine plants that adopted the agency’s 2019 New Swine Inspection System to apply for a one-year trial program to use faster line speeds. The plants will collect data on the effects of line speeds on workers and share it with U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

The line speed provision of the 2019 NSIS final rule was more than 20 years in the making, with six pork plants operating faster line speeds through a program begun in 1997 under the Clinton administration.