000912 USDA Files Appeal of Supreme Beef Decision

Dallas, TX - USDA has appealed a court order that tossed out a federal testing program to detect salmonella contamination in ground beef processing plants.

U.S. District Judge Joe Fish in Dallas agreed in May with Supreme Beef that the U-S-D-A exceeded its authority by pulling inspectors from its plant. That effectively shut the Dallas packer down.

Supreme Beef supplies meat to the federal school lunch program.

The department acted after the plant failed tougher salmonella inspection standards. But Fish said the testing program didn't evaluate fairly whether a plant is sanitary.

Supreme Beef says the rules were arbitrary. But the USDA appealed the Fish order to the Fifth U-S Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.

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