This month, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is set to propose significant updates to its Meat and Poultry Products Effluent Limitations Guidelines. These will be the first amendments in nearly two decades, marking a notable shift in environmental regulation for the industry.
Central to these changes is the introduction of regulations targeting phosphate and nitrogen in wastewater. Historically, these substances haven’t been regulated in the meat and poultry sector’s wastewater. However, the EPA has identified them as contributors to environmental harm when they enter waterways.
The impetus for these proposed changes stems from a lawsuit filed by environmental groups last year. The lawsuit criticised the EPA for not updating effluent limits and pretreatment standards for meat and poultry plants, despite acknowledging the need for revisions.
Under the new guidelines, facilities discharging wastewater directly into waterways or municipal treatment systems will be required to test and treat their wastewater for phosphate and nitrogen. This directive was outlined by Chris Young, the executive director of the American Association of Meat Processors (AAMP), in the organisation’s November newsletter.
However, these new rules will not immediately impact plants using lagoon systems for wastewater. According to Young, these facilities are currently exempt from the proposed regulations.
The AAMP has relayed EPA’s cost estimates for complying with these new regulations. These costs range from $5,000 to $4 million in initial capital expenditures and between $5,000 to $700,000 in annual operating expenses.
Following the official proposal of these guideline changes, there will be a period for public comment. Enforcement of compliance is anticipated to start in 2025 or later.
In its comprehensive study of the processing industry, the EPA found that these facilities emit the highest levels of phosphorus and the second-highest levels of nitrogen compared to other industrial categories.
Notably, some meat and poultry processing (MPP) facilities have already implemented nutrient removal from their wastewater, achieving effluent concentrations significantly lower than the existing limitations.
