December 7, 2000

Pork producers "clearly recognize" their responsibility for a clean environment and have demonstrated "a willingness to take an objective look at our own practices on the farm and to commit millions of our own checkoff dollars to find the scientific answers we need to address environmental challenges," according to the National Pork Producers Council.

A North Carolina family that produces 40,000 hogs a year was named "conservation farm family of the year" for 1998; a Wisconsin hog farmer was honored with the Steward of the Land Award by the American Farmland Trust, and the Arkansas Pork Producers received the EPA Region VI administrator's award for excellence for its work to reduce livestock runoff in the Buffalo National River watershed. "America's pork producers have been repeatedly commended by EPA Administrator Carol Browner for leading agriculture on environmental issues," says the NPPC.

In 1997, pork producers, and representatives from EPA, USDA and the states developed a comprehensive set of regulatory recommendations for pork production that included: new permit provisions; manure management requirements; setbacks from water sources and neighboring residences; and operator training and certification.

Browner, in remarks to pork producer delegates at the National Pork Industry Forum in Reno, NV, in March 1998, said, "Pork producers have literally been out front to find creative, cost effective ways to protect the quality of our waters. We are heartened that this industry has stepped forward and so willingly taken on these difficult issues and worked so hard with us to find solutions."

On Dec. 15 the EPA will issue final regulations updating its National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit and issuing effluent limitations guidelines (ELF) for the pork industry. These regulations will further define how producers must operate in order to ensure environmentally sound production practices.

To improve the environmental performance of farms nationwide, NPPC in 1998 began the On-Farm Odor/Environmental Assistance Program (OFO/EAP). Under the program pork producers receive a comprehensive assessment of their farm's environmental practices by trained third party inspectors. So far, 1,600 farms have been assessed. The program identifies specific odor and water quality risk areas on the farm. The areas evaluated include facility and equipment maintenance; manure storage structure integrity and operation; manure handling; land application practices; and manure nutrient management and contingency planning.

Browner called the agreement "an example of government and industry working together to find common-sense solutions to protect public health and the environment. The National Pork Producers Council is to be commended for working with us to address one of our nation's serious environmental problems."