The U.S. Department of Agriculture has decided not to seek to overturn a court ruling ordering the nation’s pork processing plants to operate at lower line speeds. South Dakota Pork Producers Council Executive Director Glenn Muller says the impact of the decision will lead to an increase in the backlog of hogs that need to be processed.

He says the U.S. pork industry is still trying to recover from the effects of the pandemic and problems will occur when the ruling is instituted July 1 with much of the impact coming in the fall.

Muller says their national group NPPC is working on this problem trying to find a solution.

Muller says the quicker line speeds are actually safer for processing workers as they’re not working longer hours. He says the faster line speeds are in line with the efficiency the pork industry has been working under.

Muller says if the court ruling stands, the costs will be passed on to the consumer.