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: What Does 20 MILLION Hogs a Year Look Like?

?? The Multi-Plant System Processing 20 Million Hogs Annually in the Midwest JBS USA operates multiple large-scale pork processing facilities across the Midwest, including major plants in Iowa, Minnesota, and Indiana. Combined, these facilities have the capacity to process approximately 20 million hogs annually.

Each plant operates high-speed automated slaughter systems capable of processing up to 20,000 head per day, followed by fabrication lines that break carcasses into primals, sub-primals, and case-ready retail products.

Hog procurement is coordinated through electronic marketing platforms that connect regional contract finishing operations and independent producers to plant demand schedules. This digital procurement system allows for steady supply flow and scheduling efficiency across multiple facilities.

Processing plants incorporate comprehensive food safety systems, including pathogen intervention technologies, rapid chilling processes, and integrated cold-chain management. USDA inspection is embedded throughout the harvest and fabrication stages to ensure regulatory compliance and product integrity. Finished pork products — from bulk primals to retail-ready packaged cuts — are distributed through coordinated logistics networks serving domestic and export markets.