National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
Representing the Business Interests of Agriculture

Washington, DC – The National Council of Farmer Cooperatives today expressed its strong support for recently-introduced legislation clarifying that Congress never intended livestock manure to be classified as a hazardous waste or regulated under Superfund law, also known as CERCLA, or the Community Right-To-Know law, also known as EPCRA.

NCFC also applauded the leadership of Representatives Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) and Ralph Hall (R-Texas) and Senators Blanche Lambert Lincoln (D-Ark.) and Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) in introducing the bipartisan legislation.

"Frivolous lawsuits, seeking to apply the Superfund laws contrary to congressional intent, mean that many farms in the U.S. could be subject to fines of up to $25,000 per day," said NCFC President Jean-Mari Peltier. "Animal agriculture is already regulated under the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and various state environmental laws. Current law also contains an explicit exemption for application of chemical fertilizers, which contain many of the same components as manure."

NCFC is a national association representing America's farmer cooperatives. There are nearly 3,000 farmer cooperatives across the U.S. whose members include a majority of our nation's more than 2 million farmers, ranchers and growers. These farmer cooperative businesses handle, process, and market agricultural commodities and related products; furnish farm supplies; and provide credit and associated financial services. Earnings from these activities are returned to their members on a patronage basis. Farmer cooperatives also provide jobs for nearly 250,000 Americans, many in rural areas, with a combined payroll of over $8 billion.