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JBS, the world's largest meat producer, has partnered with GreenGasUSA to turn cow and chicken waste into fuel. GreenGasUSA will collect, process, and trade biogas made of methane at JBS facilities in Nebraska, Utah, and South Carolina. The project aims to displace greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 60 million miles driven by a car or 26 million pounds of coal burned annually. JBS has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2040 and has invested over $150 million in projects to decrease emissions. However, the company has faced scrutiny over its environmental impact and is currently facing legal action in New York. [Extracted from the article]

Her bill is co-sponsored by Sens. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, Steve Daines, R-Mont., Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., Roger Marshall, R-Kan., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Jerry Moran, R-Kan., Rick Scott, R-Fla., Mike Rounds, R-S.D., Ted Budd, R-N.C., John Thune, R-S.D., Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss. and Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala. Fischer's amendment would exclude air emissions from animal waste at farms from emergency notification requirements. Sen. Deb Fischer, R- Neb., introduced an amendment that would change reporting requirements in the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act. [Extracted from the article]

On June 30, 2006, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed regulations that would revise a 2003 Clean Water Act rule governing waste discharges from large confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs). This proposal was necessitated by a 2005 federal court decision (Waterkeeper Alliance et al. v. EPA, 399 F.3d 486 (2nd Cir. 2005)), resulting from challenges brought by agriculture industry groups and environmental advocacy groups, that vacated parts of the 2003 rule and remanded other parts for analysis and clarification. The Clean Water Act prohibits the discharge of pollutants from any "point source" to waters of the United States unless authorized under a permit that is issued by EPA or a qualified state, and the act expressly defines CAFOs as point sources. Permits limiting the type and quantity of pollutants that a facility can discharge are derived from effluent limitation guidelines promulgated by EPA for categories of point sources. The 2003 rule, updating rules that had been in place since the 1970s, revised the way in which discharges of manure, wastewa and other process wastes from CAFOs are regulated, and it modified both the permitting requirements and applicable effluent limitation guidelines. It contained important first-time requirements: all CAFOs must apply for a discharge permit, and all CAFOs that apply such waste on land must develop and implement a nutrient management plan. EPA's proposal for revisions addresses those parts of the 2003 rule that were affected by the federal court's ruling: (1) it would eliminate the "duty to apply" requirement that all CAFOs either apply for discharge permits or demonstrate that they have no potential to discharge, which was challenged by industry plaintiffs, (2) it would add procedures regarding review of and public access to nutrient management plans, challenged by environmental groups, and (3) it would modify aspects of the effluent limitation guidelines, also challenged by environmental groups. EPA's proposal also considers modifying a provision of the rule that the court upheld, concerning the treatment of a regulatory exemption for agricultural stormwater discharges. Public comments addressed a number of general and specific technical points, with particular focus on the "duty to apply" for a permit and agricultural stormwater exemption provisions of the proposal. Industry's comments were generally supportive of the proposal, approving deletion of the previous "duty to apply" provision and also EPA's efforts to provide flexibility regarding nutrient management plan modifications. Environmental groups strongly criticized the proposal, arguing that the Waterkeeper Alliance court left in place several means for the agency to accomplish much of its original permitting approach, but instead EPA chose not to do so. State permitting authorities also have a number of criticisms, focusing on key parts that they argue will greatly increase the administrative and resource burden on states. EPA officials have indicated that they intend to promulgate revised regulations by June 2007. Congress has shown some interest in CAFO issues, primarily through oversight hearings in 1999 and 2001. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The animal sector of agriculture has undergone major changes in the last several decades: organizational changes within the industry to enhance economic efficiency have resulted in larger confined production facilities that often are geographically concentrated. These changes, in turn, have given rise to concerns over the management of animal wastes and potential impacts on environmental quality. Federal environmental law does not regulate all agricultural activites, but certain large animal feeding operations (AFOs) where animals are housed and raised in confinement are subject to regulation. The issue of applicability of these laws to livestock and poultry operations -- especially the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA, the Superfund law) and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) -- has been controversial and recently has drawn congressional attention. Both Superfund and EPCRA have reporting requirements that are triggered when specified quantities of certain substances are released to the environment. In addition, Superfund authorizes federal cleanup of releases of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants and imposes strict liability for cleanup and injuries to natural resources from releases of hazardous substances. Superfund and EPCRA include citizen suit provisions that have been used to sue poultry producers and swine operations for violations of those laws. In two cases, environmental advocates claimed that AFO operators had failed to report ammonia emissions, in violation of Superfund and EPCRA. In both cases, federal courts supported broad interpretation of key terms defining applicability of the laws' reporting requirements. Three other cases in federal courts, while not specifically dealing with reporting violations, also have attracted attention, in part because they have raised the question of whether animal wastes that contain phosphorus are hazardous substances that can create cleanup and natural resource damage liability under Superfund. Two of these latter cases were settled; the third, brought by the Oklahoma Attorney General against poultry operations in Arkansas, is pending. These lawsuits testing the applicability of Superfund and EPCRA to poultry and livestock operations have led to congressional interest in these issues. In the 109th Congress, legislation was introduced that would have amended CERCLA to clarify that manure is not a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant under that act and that the laws' notification requirements would not apply to releases of manure. Proponents argued that Congress did not intend that either of these laws apply to agriculture and that enforcement and regulatory mechanisms under other laws are adequate to address environmental releases from animal agriculture. Opponents responded that enacting an exemption would severely hamper the ability of government and citizens to know about and respond to releases of hazardous substances caused by an animal agriculture operation. Congress did not act on the legislation, but similar bills have been introduced in the 110th Congress (H.R. 1398 and S. 807). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The animal sector of agriculture has undergone major changes in the last several decades: organizational changes within the industry to enhance economic efficiency have resulted in larger confined production facilities that often are geographically concentrated. These changes, in turn, have given rise to concerns over the management of animal wastes and potential impacts on environmental quality. Federal environmental law does not regulate all agricultural activites, but certain large animal feeding operations (AFOs) where animals are housed and raised in confinement are subject to regulation. The issue of applicability of these laws to livestock and poultry operations -- especially the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA, the Superfund law) and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) -- has been controversial and recently has drawn congressional attention. Both Superfund and EPCRA have reporting requirements that are triggered when specified quantities of certain substances are released to the environment. In addition, Superfund authorizes federal cleanup of releases of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants and imposes strict liability for cleanup and injuries to natural resources from releases of hazardous substances. Superfund and EPCRA include citizen suit provisions that have been used to sue poultry producers and swine operations for violations of those laws. In two cases, environmental advocates claimed that AFO operators had failed to report ammonia emissions, in violation of Superfund and EPCRA. In both cases, federal courts supported broad interpretation of key terms defining applicability of the laws' reporting requirements. Three other cases in federal courts, while not specifically dealing with reporting violations, also have attracted attention, in part because they have raised the question of whether animal wastes that contain phosphorus are hazardous substances that can create cleanup and natural resource damage liability under Superfund. Two of these latter cases were settled; the third, brought by the Oklahoma Attorney General against poultry operations in Arkansas, is pending. These lawsuits testing the applicability of Superfund and EPCRA to poultry and livestock operations have led to congressional interest in these issues. In the 109th Congress, legislation has been introduced that would amend CERCLA to clarify that manure is not a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant under that act and that the laws' notification requirements would not apply to releases of manure (H.R. 4341 and S. 3681). Proponents of the legislation argue that Congress did not intend that either of these laws apply to agriculture and that enforcement and regulatory mechanisms under other laws are adequate to address environmental releases from animal agriculture. Opponents respond that enforcement under Superfund fills critical gaps not addressed in other environmental laws and that enacting an exemption would severely hamper the ability of government and citizens to know about and respond to releases of hazardous substances caused by an animal agriculture operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on number of private carbon market programs that pay farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners to generate carbon offsets for use in carbon markets has grown in recent years. It mentions programs promise to financially compensate participants for implementing climate-smart practices that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with agriculture. It also mentions practices, such as cover cropping or installing methane digesters to manage livestock waste.

The facility will include innovative barn systems, anaerobic digesters and Bion's cutting edge waste treatment technology.Bion and Ribbonwire will work together to create a definitive Joint Venture this fall, allowing plans to move forward to commence construction of the Dalhart sustainable beef facility during 2023. Bion Environmental Technologies, Inc., a developer of advanced livestock waste treatment technology that dramatically reduces environmental impacts and recovers valuable resources, announced a letter of intent with Ribbonwire Ranch to build a 15,000 head sustainable beef cattle feeding operation in Dalhart, Texas. [Extracted from the article]

Bion Environmental Technologies Inc., a leader in advanced livestock waste treatment technology and premium sustainable beef, announced that it has initiated integrated system startup at its Fair Oaks, Indiana, demonstration and optimization facility. The Fair Oaks system will provide the operating data Bion needs to complete final design of the larger systems that will treat the waste from the 15,000-head module(s) that comprise a Bion project. [Extracted from the article]

Of 41 non-grain-related cases, incidents involved livestock waste handling facilities, entanglements inside confined spaces, falls from confined space structures and grain dust explosions or fires. The annual, widely used summary documents the previous year's frequency and causes of confined space and grain entrapment incidents in the agricultural industry and provides a historical analysis of agricultural confined space hazards. Iowa reported the most agricultural confinement cases, at 24, and grain entrapment cases at nine. [Extracted from the article]

Bion Environmental Technologies Inc., a leader in advanced livestock waste treatment technology and premium sustainable beef, and Dakota Valley Growers, a cattle feeder near Bathgate, North Dakota, announced a letter of intent to develop a 15,000-head sustainable beef cattle feeding operation. Bion's Gen3Tech system will capture and stabilize the volatile ammonia nitrogen in the manure stream, where it will be upcycled to a low carbon "Climate Smart" pure nitrogen fertilizer product that can be precision applied when and where needed. [Extracted from the article]

Bion Environmental Technologies, Inc., a company that prides itself in the development of livestock waste treatment technology and premium sustainable beef, and Olson Farms/TD Angus announced a letter of intent to develop a 45,000-head sustainable beef cattle feeding operation near North Platte, Nebraska. Trey Wasserburger, Olson Farms/TD Angus' partner, stated, "We are excited to make this Bion project a reality. Bion and Olson Farms/TD Angus will work together to create a definitive Joint Venture in early 2023, with construction anticipated to commence in the second half 2023. [Extracted from the article]

Bion's Gen3Tech platform can create a pathway to economic and environmental sustainability with "win-win" benefits for a premium sector of the $175 billion U.S. livestock industry and the consumer. Bion Environmental Technologies, Inc. (OTC QB: BNET), a developer of advanced livestock waste treatment technology that dramatically reduces environmental impacts and recovers valuable resources, announced it has broken ground on a small commercial-scale Gen3Tech facility that will be located near Fair Oaks, Indiana. Bion's patented third generation technology (Gen3Tech) was designed to largely mitigate the environmental impacts of large-scale livestock production and deliver a USDA-certified sustainable product to the consumer. [Extracted from the article]

The facility will include innovative barn systems, anaerobic digesters and Bion's cutting edge waste treatment technology. Bion Environmental Technologies, Inc., a developer of advanced livestock waste treatment technology that dramatically reduces environmental impacts and recovers valuable resources, announced a letter of intent with Ribbonwire Ranch to build a 15,000 head sustainable beef cattle feeding operation in Dalhart, Texas. [Extracted from the article]

Bion Environmental Technologies, Inc., a developer of advanced livestock waste treatment technology, has announced a letter of intent with University of Nebraska-Lincoln to collaborate to develop an integrated beef facility. The objective of the collaboration is to support research and development of feedlot and other animal production technologies to advance economic, climate-smart and other environmental goals that will improve livestock production through integration of Bion's technology with other innovative feedlot technologies and practices under development within UNL's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. [Extracted from the article]

From an environmental quality standpoint, much of the interest in animal agriculture has focused on impacts on water resources, because animal waste, if not properly managed, can harm water quality through surface runoff, direct discharges, spills, and leaching into soil and groundwater. A more recent issue is the contribution of emissions from animal feeding operations (AFO), enterprises where animals are raised in confinement, to air pollution. AFOs can affect air quality through emissions of gases such as ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, hazardous air pollutants, and odor. These pollutants and compounds have a number of environmental and human health effects. Agricultural operations that emit large quantities of air pollutants may be subject to Clean Air Act regulation. Further, some livestock operations also may be regulated under the release reporting requirements of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (Superfund) and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act. Questions about the applicability of these laws to livestock and poultry operations have been controversial and have drawn congressional attention. This report reviews key issues associated with the Air Compliance Agreement. Background information on air emissions from poultry and livestock operations,relevant federal environmental laws and regulations, congressional interest, state activities, and research needs are discussed in CRS Report RL32948, "Air Quality Issues and Animal Agriculture: A Primer." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From an environmental quality standpoint, much of the public and policy interest in animal agriculture has focused on impacts on water resources, because animal waste, if not properly managed, can harm water quality through surface runoff, direct discharges, spills, and leaching into soil and groundwater. A more recent issue is the contribution of emissions from animal feeding operations (AFO), enterprises where animals are raised in confinement, to air pollution. This report provides background on the latter issue. It will be updated as warranted. AFOs can affect air quality through emissions of gases such as ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, hazardous air pollutants, and odor. These pollutants and compounds have a number of environmental and human health effects. Agricultural operations have been treated differently than other businesses under numerous federal and state laws. Some environmental laws specifically exempt agriculture from regulatory provisions, and some are designed so that farms escape most, if not all, of the regulatory impact. The primary regulatory focus on environmental impacts has occurred under the Clean Water Act. In addition, AFOs that emit large quantities of air pollutants may be subject to Clean Air Act regulation. Some livestock operations also may be regulated under the release reporting requirements of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-toKnow Act (EPCRA). Questions about the applicability of these laws to livestock and poultry operations have been controversial and have drawn congressional attention. Enforcement of federal environmental laws requires accurate measurement of emissions to determine whether regulated pollutants are emitted in quantities that exceed specified thresholds. Two reports by the National Research Council evaluated the current scientific knowledge base and approaches for estimating air emissions from AFOs as a guide for future management and regulatory efforts. Stakeholders may find little agreement on these issues, with the exception of agreeing on a need for research to estimate, measure, and characterize emissions, and to develop and evaluate technologies to mitigate and control emissions. In an effort to collect scientifically credible data on air emissions, in January 2005 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a plan negotiated with segments of the animal agriculture industry. Called the Air Compliance Agreement, it is intended to produce air quality monitoring data on AFO emissions, while at the same time protecting participants through a "safe harbor" from liability under certain provisions of federal environmental laws. Issues related to this agreement, which has been controversial among environmental advocates, state and local air quality officials, and some industry groups, are discussed separately in CRS Report RL32947, Air Quality Issues and Animal Agriculture: EPA's Air Compliance Agreement, by Claudia Copeland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the closure of facilities of meat processing firm Veviba due to not meeting food-safety standards as claimed by Belgium's Minister for Agriculture Denis Ducarme. Topics discussed include inspection by Belgium's Federal Agency for Food Chain Safety; quantity of the meat in storage in Veviba; and presence of animal waste unfit for human consumption.

The article reports that biotechnology start-up SuperMeat has formed a strategic partnership with poultry producers PHW-Gruppe and SuperMeat puts an end to the industrial need to mass produce animals for slaughter for eliminating exposure to animal waste and food-borne illnesses. It mentions SuperMeat create animal-friendly meat products using advanced cell culture techniques and rapidly-evolving clean-meat industry. It presents views of Ido Savir, co-founder, at SuperMeat, on the same.

Every livestock producer's to-do list for February should include an in-depth review of his or her operation's antimicrobial stewardship program, according to Oklahoma State University Extension recommendations. Evaluate disease rate, treatment frequency and treatment outcomes during these reviews. Fact sheets detailing research-based information about livestock health and disease management, animal well-being and waste management are available online and through OSU Extension county offices. [Extracted from the article]

Researchers aim to "upcycle" nutrient waste on farms using duckweed With a $1.7 million grant from the National Science Foundation, Penn State researchers will investigate how duckweed could be grown on Pennsylvania farms to limit nutrient pollution into the Chesapeake Bay. "Not only can duckweed capture the nutrients before they cause problems like algal blooms and dead zones, but it can also "upcycle" those nutrients into something that farmers can use again", Brennan said. [Extracted from the article]

The agreement, through Tyson's beef and pork subsidiary Tyson Fresh Meats, will see the establishment of JST Global which will serve the worldwide fats and oils market. Combining Tyson's vast supply of animal fats with Jacob Stern's Texas operations is a natural evolution and positions JST Global to meet growing worldwide demand". [Extracted from the article]

Presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), in the tradition of activists certain that they can manage the animal production chain better than those who are doing it, wants to overhaul - actually eliminate over the long term - the heart of animal agriculture. Booker's release refers to the "monopolistic practices of multi-national meatpackers and corporate integrators", typical of those misusing the term monopoly and alleging that there is no competition at all because of the number of major meat packers. [Extracted from the article]

Black soldier fly larvae (BSF, Hermetia illucens) can convert low quality organic waste into protein-rich ingredients for food and feed. The underutilized biowaste streams could be a source of valuable nutrients, however, they could also contain chemical residues. For example, antibiotics and antiparasitic drugs are regularly found in pig or chicken manure and could be present in slaughterhouse waste. Pesticides residues can be found in organic waste of for instance vegetal origin. Under current European law, it is not permitted to use biowaste substrates that contain animal products or manure for insect rearing, therefore it is needed to complete the necessary food and feed safety data to enforce possible legalization. This study aimed to investigate the effects of the presence of chemical contaminants in biowaste substrate on black soldier fly larvae, including their growth and survival, as well as on the presence of residues in the larvae. Seven days old larvae were reared on chicken feed (reference diet), catering waste, liquid pig manure mixed with silage grass, solid pig manure, mushroom feet, slaughterhouse sludge and organic wet fraction of household waste for one week. Insects were reared on the waste streams in a small scale experiment (50 g substrate) and larger scale experiment (10 kg substrate). Results of insect growth and analysis of the presence of chemical contaminants such as heavy metals, veterinary drugs, pesticides and acrylamide in the substrates and larvae will be shown, as well as possible differences due to the scaling of the experiments. When rearing BSF larvae on biowaste substrates, the possible presence of some chemical contaminants such as heavy metals and veterinary drugs should be controlled to ensure optimal insect growth and safety of the insect products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]