Why Is Congress Bending Over Backwards To Protect Polluters?

Jun 21, 2016

By Colin O’Neil

Agriculture Policy Director

Days after the United Nations released startling new data showing that agriculture’s contribution to climate change is getting worse, the House and Senate Appropriations committees approved spending bills that would bar the Environmental Protection Agency from monitoring and regulating greenhouse gas emissions from concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs.

The manure generated by 450,000 cow, pig and chicken feeding operations in the U.S. is 13 times the amount produced by humans. This mountain of animal waste is not only bad for water quality but also causes air pollution and climate change.

The newly updated data from the UN show that global greenhouse emissions from agriculture increased at a greater rate in 2014 than emissions from burning fossil fuels for energy. More than half of agriculture’s climate impact is attributed to methane released by livestock and their manure.

Emissions by Sector (Avg. 1994-2014)

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Video: Intrauterine Vaccines in Swine - Dr. Heather Wilson

In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, Dr. Heather Wilson from VIDO at the University of Saskatchewan explains how intrauterine vaccination is being developed as a new option for swine health. She shares how formulation, adjuvants, and delivery methods influence immune responses and what early trials reveal about safety and reproductive performance. Listen now on all major platforms.

"The idea was that an intrauterine vaccine might avoid a tolerance response and instead create an active immune response."

Meet the guest: Dr. Heather Wilson / heather-wilson-a8043641 is a Senior Scientist and Program Manager at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization at the University of Saskatchewan. Her work centers on vaccine formulation and delivery in pigs, including the development of intrauterine vaccination to support reproductive health and passive protection of piglets. Her background spans biochemistry, immunology, and functional pathogenomics.