The Environmental Protection Agency determined Aug. 30, 2025, that more restrictive federal wastewater regulations and new cost burdens would be harmful for US meat and poultry processing operations. The agency also concluded that the current system of federal, state and local requirements already in place under the Clean Water Act is working effectively. 

The EPA decision affirms the current performance of the industry, highlighting that the additional requirements the EPA has been considering would result in significant and unjustified costs and closures of facilities, particularly in rural communities.

The Meat and Poultry Products sector already complies with nationwide effluent standards that limit the pollutants that can be discharged from a poultry or meat processor’s wastewater treatment system.

EPA first enacted the Meat and Poultry Products Effluent Guidelines and Standards in 1974 and amended the regulation, which covers wastewater directly discharged by processing facilities, in 2004. The proposed amendment would have established more stringent technological requirements for controlling discharges from processors and significantly increased the scope of plants that were covered by the rules. 

Comprehensive review

Industry stakeholders representing the meat, poultry and rendering community have expressed concern, including the leading trade associations for animal agriculture: the US Poultry & Egg Association, Meat Institute, National Pork Producers Council, North American Renderers Association, National Turkey Federation, National Chicken Council, United Egg Producers and American Farm Bureau Federation.

The Meat and Poultry Products Industry Coalition, made up by the Meat Institute, National Chicken Council, National Pork Producers Council, National Turkey Federation, North American Renderers Association and the US Poultry & Egg Association, commissioned an economic impact analysis that found the EPA grossly underestimated the number of facility closures should the proposed guidelines be enacted from the 16 sites in the EPA estimate to 74 sites.

The projected number of near-term job losses associated with these facility closures would increase from nearly 17,000 that EPA estimates in the proposal to over thirty thousand to nearly 80,000 direct job losses from plant closures.

The proposed rule would have also harmed the relationship between MPPs and publicly-owned treatment works (POTWs). Indirect discharging MPP facilities often make significant financial investments in maintaining and upgrading the POTW or shouldering major surcharges for the POTW’s continued operation and maintenance, which reduce public treatment costs for residential ratepayers and improve the quality of local and downstream waters.

The industry has worked through several administrations to familiarize EPA officials with both the industry’s wastewater treatment technologies and efficiencies, as well as the unique relationship between processing operations and the local municipal treatment plants that receive and further treat their discharge.

"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."

USPOULTRY President Nath Morris said, “We appreciate the EPA’s acknowledgement of our industry’s dedication to properly treat wastewater coming from our plants to a very high standard. The EPA’s final decision signals the agency’s commitment to transparently and thoroughly evaluating regulations for the processing community.”

Duane Stateler, National Pork Producers Council president and pork producer from McComb, Ohio, said, "The National Pork Producers Council applauds the Trump administration and EPA Administrator Zeldin for taking a commonsense approach on the Meat & Poultry Processing Rule.

"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."

Ashley Peterson, National Chicken Council senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs, said, "NCC appreciates EPA’s common-sense approach in regulating water quality and for recognizing that industry is already regulated under the 2004 ELGs, as well as state agencies."

"EPA, under the Biden administration, did not provide adequate time to allow for meaningful public comment on the proposed rule which, if it was finalized, would have resulted in numerous facility closures, major job losses nationwide, and higher production costs – all of which are contrary to the goals of the Trump administration. We're grateful that the agency is taking no further action on the ELG rule and remain committed to doing our part to keep our nation’s water supply safe."

Leslee Oden, president and CEO of the National Turkey Federation, said, "EPA’s determination on the effluent guidelines rule shows that current regulatory arrangements that have been built for years under the Clean Water Act are working for turkey processors, the environment, for the local communities we’ve invested in and for American consumers.

"Avoiding this unjustified weight allows us to continue to work with our local municipal utilities and do the right things to meet our environmental demands and ultimately ensure we keep our nation’s food supply robust and healthy."

Kent Swisher, NARA president and CEO, said, "NARA welcomes EPA’s decision not to impose additional wastewater discharge regulations on meat and poultry processing facilities, recognizing the industry’s longstanding investments in sustainability and science-based treatment while avoiding unnecessary costs that would not deliver additional environmental benefits. EPA’s decision shows sustainability and smart regulation can go hand in hand."

Keeping effective rules in place

The National Association of Clean Water Agencies, representing the nation’s publicly owned treatment works, has been strongly aligned with the industry’s position that the pretreatment standards currently in place are effective in protecting human health and the environment. 

In comments to the EPA in 2024, NACWA noted that “pretreatment programs have reached a state of maturity that allows them to understand their own treatment operations and effectively regulate industrial users in their communities through local limits, best management practices or other means – especially in the case of conventional pollutants that POTWs are designed to treat.”

Sources: Meat Institute; USPOULTRY; NPPC; NTF