The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has proposed new rules in an attempt to optimise the inspection process at hog slaughtering plants. These regulations will allow slaughter plants to join a voluntary inspection scheme, giving plant employees the discretion to decide whether a hog is unfit for slaughter.

Currently, independent government inspectors from the USDA perform this task. These inspectors will instead be transferred to other areas of the plant to focus on food safety during t