EPA withdraws plan to reduce wastewater discharge at meat and poultry plants

The EPA is looking to end plans for reducing wastewater at meat and poultry processing plants, citing concerns that many operations could not afford to make the necessary upgrades.

The effort to reduce wastewater discharges came from the Biden administration, but a study by the EPA shows that as many as sixteen meat plants would be forced to close if the rules went into effect.

A summary of the decision says that the plan would have had significant impacts on the nation’s food supply and pricing.
Jobs would also be on the line too.

The EPA warns that upward of 25,000 Americans would be forced out of work if the agency went forward on the proposal.

Meat groups are backing the EPA’s move.

The National Pork Producers Council says that it applauds the administration’s decision, saying that rules in the Clean Water Act are effective enough and that any other changes would be harmful to processors.

Leaders of that group say that the decision now closes nearly two years of waiting for an answer.

Related Stories
A court decision that overturns Enlist labels would remove two major herbicides from use and reshape EPA’s future mitigation policies for other pesticides.
Pasture, Rangeland and Forage (PRF) interval selection—not just participation—drives protection levels as rainfall patterns become less predictable across the South.
If the House concurs and the President signs, USDA services and farm-bill programs resume at full speed with authorities extended for another year.
Experts highlight the importance of monitoring insecticide resistance in crops and improving disease traceability at livestock shows through RFID technology.
Lewie Pugh, with the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, joined us on Monday’s Market Day Report to share his perspective on what the bill could mean for truckers.
Ohio AgNet’s Dusty Sonnenberg takes us up in the cab with a popcorn farmer bringing in this year’s haul.

EPA