Data / Federal rules / 2026-10186
Visual Post-Mortem Inspection in Swine Slaughter Establishments
The Food Safety and Inspection Service published this final rule in the Federal Register on May 21, 2026. It took effect on July 20, 2026.
SpecStream is the live web data engine for teams and agents. It reads every rule and proposed rule in the Federal Register each morning, and this page is that reading. Name your industry once and new rules, comment deadlines and effective dates arrive in your sheet, CRM, Slack or agent as they are published.
What the agency says
FSIS is amending its regulations to end mandatory mandibular lymph nodes ("lymph nodes") incision and viscera palpation of swine carcasses in all swine slaughter establishments (i.e., establishments operating under traditional swine slaughter inspection or the New Swine Slaughter Inspection System (NSIS)). Mandibular lymph nodes incision and viscera palpation of swine carcasses are not needed to ensure food safety, as FSIS swine condemnation rates are low and disease conditions that are condemnable defects can be detected visually through other pathological changes in the carcass and its parts. Therefore, FSIS is amending the meat inspection regulations to remove requirements for establishment sorters to "incise mandibular lymph nodes and palpate the viscera" as part of their sorting activities before FSIS post- mortem inspection in NSIS establishments. FSIS is also amending the post-mortem swine inspection staffing standards table applicable to swine slaughter establishments operating under traditional inspection. This change will allow FSIS more flexibility to assign inspection program personnel (IPP) based on the establishment's line configuration, other establishment operations, and FSIS staffing needs.
Key facts
- Document number
- 2026-10186
- Type
- Final rule
- Action
- Final rule
- Agency
- Agriculture Department; Food Safety and Inspection Service
- Published
- May 21, 2026
- Takes effect
- July 20, 2026
- Dates
- Effective July 20, 2026.
- Docket
- Docket No. FSIS 2024-0023
- Regulation ID (RIN)
- 0583-AD99
- Code of Federal Regulations
- 9 CFR 310
- Topics
- Animal diseases; Blood; Meat inspection
- Pages
- 10
Other documents from the Food Safety and Inspection Service
| Document | Type | Published |
|---|---|---|
| Removal of Standard of Identity for Canned “Tripe With Milk” 2026-08580 | Final rule | May 4 |
| Revising Establishment Size Definitions 2026-05746 | Proposed rule | Mar 24 |
| Maximum Line Speed Under the New Swine Slaughter Inspection System (NSIS) 2026-03228 · significant | Proposed rule | Feb 19 |
| Maximum Line Speed Rates for Young Chicken and Turkey Establishments Operating Under the New Poultry Inspection System 2026-03227 · significant | Proposed rule | Feb 19 |
| Visual Post-Mortem Inspection in Swine Slaughter Establishments 2025-15749 | Proposed rule | Aug 19, 2025 |
| Removal of Pumped Bacon Sampling Regulations 2025-12212 | Final rule | Jul 1, 2025 |
| Removal of Standard of Identity for Canned “Tripe With Milk” 2025-12032 | Proposed rule | Jun 30, 2025 |
| Publication Method of Lists of States With and Without State Meat or Poultry Inspection Programs 2025-11816 | Final rule | Jun 26, 2025 |
Everything from the Food Safety and Inspection Service · Rules on animal diseases · Rules on blood · Rules on meat inspection · Published in May 2026
Read from the Federal Register API, last updated 2026-10-23. The document on federalregister.gov is the official record; dates and dockets can change through later corrections. Free to reuse with credit to SpecStream under CC BY 4.0.