Farmers and ag leaders told the House Agriculture Committee last Wednesday they are concerned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been charting a regulatory path for the industry largely without their input.
The hearing focused on a wide range of EPA regulations from the Waters of the U.S. rule, to dicamba, to new agency efforts to enforce the Endangered Species Act.
Hog and poultry producer Gary Cooper of Ohio testified on behalf of the National Pork Producers Council.
“First, we are very concerned about EPA ‘s EFG’s [Effluent Limitations Guidelines] for meat and poultry processors. Even if EPA admits this rule will cause many processes to close, it is frustrating that the government would propose regulations putting large numbers of meat processors out of the business,” he said. “This does create real economic hardships for those communities and the farmers who rely on them. Their closure means the loss of marketing opportunities for farmers, undermining both congress and USDA ‘s efforts to expand the number of small and medium local meat processors.”
He pointed out the difficulties livestock ranchers have had in recent years, such as last year when hog producers lost an average of $30 per head due to lower hog prices and high production costs. He said there’s been some relief this year, but many farmers remain ‘deep in the red.’
“This is all happening while farmers nationwide contended with the ever-present threat of all kinds of animal diseases. As a poultry farmer, I’m also aware of the devastation that has been caused by avian influenza and as a hog farmer, I worry about the massive economic harm that will occur if African swine fever manages to make its way into the U.S. Our industry continues to face activists and regulatory distractions on environmental performance,” Cooper stated. “While activists are unavoidable, government agencies like EPA shouldn’t be putting unnecessary burdens on struggling farmers like us.”
Cooper has firsthand experience with the EPA, as he once served on the EPA’s Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Advisory Committee.
Click BELOW to watch the full House Ag Committee hearing on the consequences of EPA’s actions on U.S. agriculture:
