US meat and poultry industry welcomes RFS proposal
The bill, introduced by US senators John Barrasso, Mark Pryor and Pat Toomey, would repeal the statutory authorisation for the RFS as well as the regulations implementing the RFS. The senators argued this would help stop the dramatic rise in livestock feed prices and reduce transport fuel costs.
Senator Barrasso said: “The Renewable Fuel Standard is fundamentally broken and beyond repair. Instead of delivering meaningful environmental benefits, it has driven up food and fuel costs for American families. This flawed program will also inevitably lead to widespread lawsuits against American manufacturers. When Congress enacts bad policy, the right response is to scrap it and start over.”
Pryor added that the mandates were “unworkable” and needed to be overhauled. “Repealing the RFS will allow us to develop a new policy for advanced biofuels without driving up Arkansans’ gas and food prices,” he said.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), National Chicken Council (NCC) and the National Turkey Federation (NTF) have commended the senators for introducing the bill, and urged Congress to repeal the RFS.
NTF president Joel Brandenberger said: “The RFS has been such a poorly managed mess, it’s time to drain the swamp. The RFS needs a fresh start in order to put in place a smarter policy on the mix of fuel and feed.”
NCBA policy vice-chair Craig Uden added: “When EPA is unable to provide even a temporary waiver of the RFS during the worst drought in 50 years, it is apparent the RFS is broken and we appreciate the efforts of enators Barrasso, Pryor and Toomey to fix this flawed program.”
