the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said it will allow the sales of chicken meat made from birds that have had diseases. And yes, that’s for human consumption. In July, the agency accepted a petition from the National Chicken Council to allow slaughterhouses to process birds infected with Avian Leukosis. The infection causes a condition akin to cancer in chickens, where malignant tumors and lesions can develop. Not only will inspectors not be required to examine the first 300 birds of each flock for signs of the disease, but processors will also be allowed to simply cut the tumors off and process the rest of the bird.