A federal district court granted USDA’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the Humane Society of the United States and several other animal rights activists challenging USDA’s issuance of poultry slaughter line speed waivers in 2018.
In 2020, several activist groups sued USDA to try to invalidate 2018 line speed waivers. After several years of briefings, the court dismissed the complaint because the parties lacked standing to sue, noting that the “regulatory landscape has changed since the initial complaint” due to the issuance of updated waivers in 2022.
The dismissal was without prejudice, meaning the plaintiffs can file an amended complaint attempting to address the standing deficiencies if they wish.
