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Why EPA and USDA are tweaking standards

Some poultry producers in Iowa are struggling to find a place to process their birds.
Kathleen Masterson
/
Harvest Public Media
Some poultry producers in Iowa are struggling to find a place to process their birds.

Later, we check in with a revised Environmental Protection Agency standard that could help some wastewater treatment facilities struggling to comply with part of the Clean Water Act’s deadline.

But let’s start with another federal agency – the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Every year, more than 9-billion chickens and turkeys are slaughtered, then inspected for defects before heading to market.  The USDA is trying to modernize that inspection process, which dates back to 1950s-era poultry law. But while industry, government and consumer groups agree that updating makes sense, there’s widespread disagreement over whether the USDA’s proposals will make things better. Harvest Public Media’s Amy Mayer reports.

Then, a recent decision by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 7 gives wastewater treatment plants in Missouri more time to comply with a portion of the Clean Water Act.  Michele Skalicky has more.

Kristofor left KBIA in fall of 2021