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Ag scores CAFO suit victory over EPA

In what is being called a major victory for livestock producers, a federal court has ruled that the EPA cannot require livestock operations to obtain Clean Water Act (CWA) permits unless they are discharging manure into a waterway of the U.S.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5^th Circuit in New Orleans said that EPA exceeded its statutory authority in requiring concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) to obtain permits, even if there was only a “potential” for discharge.

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), American Farm Bureau, United Egg Producers and several other ag groups had sued EPA over its so-called CAFO rule.  NPPC president Doug Wolf praised the ruling.  He says the pork industry has already embraced a zero-discharge standard and the time, effort and cost of getting a federal permit is, in his words, “a complete waste.”