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The new rules will come about as manufacturers try to increase the speed in which they process the poultry.
Plants want to go from 140 chickens per minute to 175.
The faster production lines will mean workers can’t visually inspect the birds for things like fecal matter and will instead spray then with larger amounts of cleaning agents.
A National Chicken Council spokesman said "If line speeds at a plant are increased and if more birds are produced, obviously the volume of antimicrobials will increase to ensure that each bird is treated with the proper food safety interventions."
The USAD wasn’t on board though, releasing their own statement which said "we have no reason to believe chemical usage would increase under this proposed system.”
The FDA will likely make the final call and it's expected to come by summer but reports indicate their research is based on tests conducted by the chemicals' manufacturers.
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