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Poultry Industry Calls for Easing EPA's Ethanol Corn Requirement

National poultry organizations are asking the Environmental Protection Agency and Congress to ease up on the requirement that 40 percent of the corn crop go to ethanol production.

The request comes amidst a drought that has – in some cases – virtually wiped out the corn harvest for many farmers including those on Delmarva.

On Monday, the National Chicken Council handed EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson a petition asking for a waiver from the Renewable Fuel Standards regulations for the next year.  

The petition comes just two weeks after the Council called for reforming the ethanol requirement.

Maryland Senator Ben Cardin responded with legislation last week calling for flexibility and said that US food security should not be sacrificed for energy security.

Perdue Farms told the Salisbury Daily Times that the company has seen a 30 percent jump in corn prices in less than a month.

The poultry company supports the legislation.  

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.