The National Chicken Council and U.S. Poultry & Egg Association hailed today’s decision by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals wiping out an “onerous and unnecessary” regulation imposed on poultry farms by the Environmental Protection Agency as a “victory for common sense.”
“America’s poultry farmers are good stewards of the land,” NCC and USPOULTRY said in a statement. “EPA’s requirement that farms had to apply for a discharge permit, even though no discharge occurs, was an onerous and unnecessary bureaucratic invention. Getting rid of it is a victory for common sense.”
NCC and USPOULTRY participated in a challenge filed in the court in New Orleans to overturn EPA’s policy that livestock and poultry farmers have a “duty to apply” for discharge permit. Broiler chicken farms keep animals indoors on dry litter systems and do not discharge waste. NCC and USPOULTRY argued in the brief that EPA had no authority to impose a duty to get a permit unless there is an actual discharge.
The National Chicken Council represents integrated chicken producer-processors, the companies that produce and process chickens. Member companies of NCC account for more than 95 percent of the chicken sold in the United States.
The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association is dedicated to the growth, progress, and welfare of the poultry industry and all of its individual and corporate interests. Membership includes producers and processors of broilers, turkeys, ducks, eggs and breeding stock, as well as allied companies. Formed in 1947, the association has affiliations in 26 states and member companies worldwide. The group’s mission focuses on research, education, communication, and technical assistance.
