This stewardship initiative was NOT mandated by the state or federal government but was voluntarily entered into by concerned growers and poultry integrators. Similarly, the EPA should consider additional voluntary steps to ensure water quality instead of strict mandates. In Georgia, the results speak for themselves. Indeed, the sale of manure as a fertilizer is analogous to a chemical company selling fertilizer. In Georgia, poultry litter is not thought of as a waste product but as an additional income source.
Many farmers spread poultry litter on their own farms, as well as custom spreading for neighbors.
Because of the fluctuations in the world market for poultry meat, the added income from this byproduct is a godsend to our farmers. By increasing the regulatory burden on these farmers, the EPA will upset the tenuous balance between the farmer and his fertilizer customers and may cause economic harm to both. Conclusion Over the decades agricultural producers have achieved extraordinary conservation gains through voluntary, incentive based programs to conserve fragile soils, wetlands, protect water quality and wildlife habitats. Several voluntary initiatives have been listed in this document as examples of the strides that we have made in the State of Georgia. The Georgia Farm Bureau Federation urges the EPA to acknowledge this progress by farmers and to implement similar initiatives on the national level.