National Chicken Council Statement on Goodlatte-Costa RFS Flexibility Bill

A Statement by Bill Roenigk, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist, National Chicken Council

“The nation’s inventory of corn has fallen to critically low levels and will most likely fall further to only about two and a half weeks’ worth of corn on hand.  This is due primarily to the enormous draw on the corn crop by ethanol producers – about 40 percent of the total.  Chicken producers are facing corn shortages while ethanol producers are actually exporting corn-based ethanol to other countries.  In North Carolina, a thousand plant workers lost their jobs last month and 150 farm families no longer have contracts to grow chickens because a chicken company was forced to close due to the high cost of corn.  Is it fair to family farmers who have grown chickens for generations to risk foreclosure and the loss of the family homestead so that ethanol can continue to be exported?  The RFS Flexibility Act is one small step to try to address this inequity.  Congress should pass the bill and it should be implemented as soon as possible.”

The National Chicken Council represents integrated chicken producer-processors, the companies that produce, process and market chickens and chicken products.  Member companies of NCC account for more than 95 percent of the chicken sold in the United States.

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Address media inquiries to: Tom Super

Senior Vice President of Communications

[email protected] 202-443-4130