Washington, DC - Two pork producers told a U.S. Senate committee that proposed federal legislation to regulate pork producers is not needed in light of recent action by the Environmental Protection Agency to increase regulatory enforcement and establish new standards for regulation of the pork industry. Pork producer Jim Moseley of Indiana, accompanied by Iowa producer Glen Keppy, testified on behalf of the National Pork Producers Council before a U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee hearing on a proposed bill that would impose broad new restrictions on pork producers.
"The President and his Administration currently have efforts underway to implement the Clean Water Action Plan," said Moseley. "We believe this effort will address environmental concerns in a way that is science-based, sustainable, affordable and achievable. Based on the president's actions, we believe that new legislation is premature at this time," Moseley said.
Moseley referred to EPA's recently announced draft of an "Animal Feeding Operation Strategy" under which EPA will work with state regulatory agencies to step up enforcement of existing permit requirements for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO). EPA also recently announced development of a new effluent limitation guideline which will become the national minimum standards that all states will be required to meet.
Moseley requested federal funding of environmental research and additional technical assistance and cost- share for livestock producers to implement new environmental management practices and structures.
"Since the enactment of the 1972 Clean Water Act, more than $125 billion has been spent by the federal government to implement the law, focused overwhelmingly on point source pollution control," said Moseley. "It is only appropriate that the federal government should endeavor to provide incentives such as financial and technical assistance to pork producers."
Moseley was critical of a recent Senate Agriculture Committee Minority report that misrepresented the environmental impact of the livestock feeding industry. He said that the report is wrong when it suggests that 10,000 pounds of animal manure is produced for every person in the United States. In fact, collectible manure from all confined beef, dairy, pork and poultry feeding operations totals only about 700 pounds per person. Moseley said only 12 percent of that animal manure comes from swine, while two-thirds of all manure is from cattle, and the majority of that amount is distributed widely and in low concentration levels, scattered over 650 million acres of pasture and rangeland. Moseley also pointed out that for every pound of nitrogen produced in swine manure that is applied as fertilizer to cropland, two pounds of nitrogen is piped directly into rivers and streams by municipal and industry waste treatment facilities.
Moseley highlighted environmental research, education and management programs recently launched by the U.S. pork industry, including:
a $3.5 million Odor Solutions Initiative to speed private industry research on odor control technology; a $1.5 million On-Farm Odor/Environmental Assistance Program which will provide trained technicians to evaluate the odor and water quality performance of individual pork production operations around the nation; the Environmental Assurance Program (EAP), a comprehensive, continuing education program covering environmental management areas that is delivered at the local level for producers.
The U.S. pork industry was also a participant in the National Environmental Dialogue on Pork Production, completed late in 1997. Dialogue participants included representatives from EPA, USDA, and a number of state environmental and agriculture officials. It resulted in a set of uniform science-based guidelines designed for use by state and national regulators in determining new regulations for pork production units.
Moseley emphasized pork producers' commitment to progressive regulation and innovative environmental management practices, which protect the water, soil and air.
"Only environmentally sustainable production systems will allow U.S. pork producers to meet expanding demand for what is the most consumed meat in the world," Moseley concluded.
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