Environmental groups have filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals challenging the Trump administration’s decision to halt new wastewater discharge rules for meat and poultry processing plants.
The Biden administration proposed updated standards in 2023, aiming to cut nitrogen, phosphorus, and fecal bacteria pollution by an estimated 100 million pounds. But in August 2025, the EPA under President Trump announced it was withdrawing the proposal, citing concerns about food prices and inflation.
The lawsuit, brought by several advocacy groups, is the latest in a series of legal efforts to force the EPA to modernize pollution standards for slaughterhouses and meat plants under the Clean Water Act. While environmental advocates argue stronger rules are necessary to protect waterways and communities, agricultural groups—including the American Farm Bureau Federation, National Chicken Council, and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association—backed the Trump administration’s withdrawal, saying stricter regulations would have increased food costs and threatened farmers’ livelihoods.
Photo Credit: Successful Farming
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