US poultry industry approves final action on discharge rule

The US poultry industry has signaled its satisfaction in response to EPA’s final action on a 2011 proposed rule that would have required Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) to submit information to the Agency regardless of whether or not they discharge to a water of the United States.

The rule would have required CAFOs to provide detailed location information and farm demographics for virtually every family farm engaged in the production of commercial poultry and egg products in the United States.

The 2011 proposed rule was in response to a settlement agreement reached with environmental petitioners in 2010, which required EPA to take final action by July 13, 2012. In announcing the final action, the Agency pointed out that although collecting CAFO information is important, the Agency believes an efficient approach that does not duplicate efforts is the appropriate next step. EPA will collect CAFO information using existing sources of information, including state National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) programs and other programs at the federal, state, and local level to help ensure CAFOs are implementing practices that protect water quality.

The US poultry industry has responded pleased that EPA recognised the burden the proposed rule would place on the industry. Furthermore, the poultry industry stated that it appreciated that the agency heard the concerns voiced by industry during the comment period and accepted the recommendation to collect this information from existing sources.

Source: National Chicken Council