Washington - U.S. Agriculture Department has shut 30 meat packing plants or production lines so far this year for violating safety standards, a number that is "significantly higher" than a year ago, Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said.
"Sometimes this meant a whole plant was shut down, other times just a (production) line. But this number is significantly higher than this time last year," Glickman told a food policy conference sponsored by Public Voice and the National Food Processors Assn.
USDA in effect shuts a meat processing plant by withholding its inspection stamp, which is required by federal law.
Under new USDA regulations that went into effect in January, large meat plants must also follow their own written plans to prevent contamination of products at certain steps in the process. The program -- known as Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points -- has been criticized by some federal meat inspectors as giving plants too much latitude.
Some plants were shut because they failed to do a required test for E.coli contamination while others failed to follow their own cleanliness standards, Glickman said.
"The circumstances were different at each plant, but the fundamental reason they were shut down was the same: these plants did not take their new responsibilities seriously, and for that offense, USDA's actions to date make it clear that plants will face severe consequences," he said.
Consumer concern about meat safety has manifested itself in other ways, he said. USDA has had "record numbers" of consumer telephone calls to its meat and poultry safety hotline about the safe preparation of meals, Glickman said.
Glickman, speaking to reporters after his speech, also defended the Clinton Administration's proposal to fund meat safety programs through user fees assessed to processing plants. The user fee proposal, which has little support in Congress, has been blasted by industry and consumer groups.
"We use user fees to fund the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission, and many other safety agencies," Glickman said. "Given the budget crunch we're under, it is always like pulling teeth to find the resources to have enough inspectors under the current system."
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