SAN FRANCISCO — A judge with the US District Court for the Northern District of California, San Francisco Division, dismissed a lawsuit filed four years ago against the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) regarding its decision to increase line speeds at poultry plants.

The complaint was originally filed Feb. 25, 2020, by the Humane Society of the United States, Animal Outlook, Mercy for Animals, Government Accountability Project and Marin Humane.

The groups alleged that the USDA implemented line speed changes without providing time for legal notice and time for public comment.

In 2018, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) introduced a waiver system to permit poultry processors participating in the New Poultry Inspection System (NPIS) to operate line speeds exceeding 175 birds per minute.

USDA contended that the plaintiffs lacked standing and that the 2018 decision was not reflective of the agency’s final action, as the 2018 waivers were terminated and modified waivers were allowed under new criteria in 2022.

US Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler dismissed the complaint with leave to amend. The groups were given 21 days to file an amended complaint.