EPA decision protects small processors and farmers
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has confirmed that the current Meat and Poultry Products (MPP) Effluent Guidelines and Standards will remain unchanged. Administrator Lee Zeldin announced that proposed amendments were unnecessary, citing that existing federal wastewater regulations under the Clean Water Act are effective and new requirements would cause undue financial harm.
The proposed changes would have forced processors to install costly new wastewater treatment systems. EPA’s own analysis showed that dozens of small and medium-sized plants would likely have been forced to close, with industry-wide costs exceeding $1 billion annually. Such closures would have reduced packing capacity and strained livestock markets.
“The National Pork Producers Council applauds the Trump administration and EPA Administrator Zeldin for taking a commonsense approach on the Meat & Poultry Processing Rule. As proposed by the previous administration, this rule—which provides no environmental benefits—would have been devastating to small- and medium-sized meat processors across the country and the livestock farmers who rely on them as markets for their animals,” said Duane Stateler, National Pork Producers Council President and pork producer from McComb, Ohio.
“EPA’s action will save not only the nearly 100 local meat processors that EPA itself identified would have to close down but also the thousands of family farmers who rely on them to stay in livestock production, and it will help ensure affordable, nutritious American-grown pork can continue to be served on dinner tables across the country,” concluded Stateler.
“This important decision by Administrator Zeldin ends a regulatory disaster that would have forced meat processing facilities to close, causing food prices to go up and hardship for livestock and poultry producers,” said Meat Institute President and CEO Julie Anna Potts. “We are grateful for the swift action of the Trump Administration to put the consumer first and eliminate burdensome regulations that destroy jobs.”
The guidelines were first introduced in 1974 and later updated in 2004. The latest review, which involved a two-year comment process, considered whether to expand requirements to more facilities and introduce stricter discharge standards. After consultation with industry stakeholders, EPA concluded that the existing rules remain sufficient to protect water quality without threatening the viability of processors and independent farmers.
This decision brings relief to processors, producers, and consumers alike, safeguarding both the food supply and rural economies.
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