Testifiying before the livestock, dairy and poultry subcommittee of the House Agriculture Committee Thursday, members of the poultry and livestock industries warne that consumer food prices will rise if the burden of expensive corn is not alleviated.
J. Patrick Boyle, president and CEO of the American Meat Institute, said that Congress should take practical actions to moderate the impact that the nation's renewable energy policy is having on animal feed costs and, by extension, the cost of food sold to consumers.
Matthew Herman, complex manager for Tyson Foods, who spoke on behalf of the National Chicken Council, told the subcommittee that the United States could see a corn shortage as ethanol demand outstrips supply.
Both groups offered Congress suggestions as to how to alleviate price pressure on producers. Among the recommendations:
--Increase federal investment in dried distiller grain research that could help producers adjust feeding regimens to include distiller grains.
--Allowing the U.S. ethanol tariff to expire as scheduled on Dec. 31, 2008 so that Americans have greater access to imported ethanol.
--Promote alternative energy sourced from cellulosic materials, methane or renewable diesel.
Herman and the National Chicken Council also asked Congress to permit non-environmentally sensitive cropland to be released from USDA's Conservation Reserve Program without penalty or loss of program benefits, and to allow new cropland into the program if it is designated for bio-energy production. AMI's Boyle suggested a working lands conservation program to encourage production of environmentally friendly feedstuffs.
"The current approach and pace [of domestically produced renewable energy] is full of risks to traditional users of feed grains," Herman cautioned. "Without adequate safeguards for the unintended consequences, the future of U.S. animal agriculture is put in great jeopardy."
Other industry members, including those from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, the National Pork Producers Council and dairy and egg association representatives, in addition to academics, also testified before the subcommittee.
By Alicia Karapetian on Friday, March 09, 2007