U.S. Court of Appeals Denies Petition that Would Have Changed Regulation of Livestock Farms

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit threw out a lawsuit that would have redefined how the EPA regulates concentrated animal feeding operations. The decision is seen as a win for the U.S. meat industry.

The lawsuit was filed by Food & Water Watch. It challenges the EPA’s decision to deny a petition that would have required all farms to obtain permits to operate their concentrated animal feeding operations unless they could prove they were not a source of pollution. The premise of the lawsuit was that livestock operations are releasing pollution into the waterways in violation of the Clean Water Act.

The court agreed with the EPA’s approach to regulating livestock production. This includes the formation of a subcommittee to study water quality issues and decide how to address the issue before passing new regulations.