The Department of Agriculture wants to move forward with a modernization of pork slaughter. USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service last week announced the agency wants to move forward with a system that will focus inspection resources and improve food safety. The effort is supported by the National Pork Producers Council, which says the improvements would increase efficiency and effectiveness of the federal inspection process, and allow for the rapid adoption of new food safety technologies in pork slaughter. NPPC says it also has the potential to increase U.S. hog slaughter capacity. Like the system already implemented in the chicken industry, the pork version, also a result of the years-long Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points Inspection Models Project, currently has five U.S. pork packing plants participating in pilot programs. Enactment of a modernization rule would make the system available to all packers.