CHICAGO—The U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Wednesday that some pork plants can apply to operate faster processing-line speeds under a one-year trial, after a federal judge ended a Trump-era rule that removed line speed limits in March. Faster slaughtering would help meat companies like WH Group’s Smithfield Foods and JBS to increase pork production at a time of strong demand and high bacon prices. The companies, and others like Hormel Foods Corp supplier Quality Pork Processors, are eligible to apply for the trial program because they were previously allowed to operate without speed limits under the 2019 rule struck down in March. A federal judge invalidated the 2019 rule following a United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Union lawsuit against the USDA over concerns about worker safety. During the new trial program, plants would implement worker safety measures included in an agreement with their workers’ union or worker safety …