In an amendment to the bill, Oklahoma Republican Senator James Inhofe called for a Poultry Sustainability Research Council to look at new ways to address the problem of poultry waste.

Following the success of the bill the senator said: "I am particularly pleased that the Senate Farm Bill includes two provisions addressing poultry waste, one of the most pressing issues facing Oklahoma agriculture.

"Specifically, this bill includes my amendment authorizing the US Secretary of Agriculture to establish a ‘Poultry Sustainability Research Council’ aimed at identifying new ways to address poultry waste.

"The Council will focus on the long-term economic and environmental sustainability of the industry.

"During a hearing before the US Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, of which I am the Ranking Republican, Oklahoma State University Professor Mike Dicks testified about the need to harness the potential of this resource, rather than treating it simply as a waste.

"There is great promise in creating energy from animal waste, and my amendment will ensure we pursue all options for utilizing this by-product."

However, the senator's drive for a Poultry Sustainability Research Council has been met with scepticism by some local commentators.

The Muskogee Phoenix newspaper said: "The amendment is apparently Inhofe’s solution to the controversy between Oklahoma and the poultry industry over the application of poultry waste to area fields. Oklahoma’s Attorney General Drew Edmondson filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the poultry industry, claiming the waste is most to blame for deteriorating water quality in the state’s streams and lakes.

"The environmental problem won’t be resolved until all interests — industry and environmental — work for agreeable solutions. "But in the past, Inhofe has not been friendly to the environment."

However, the newspaper concludes: "We will give him the benefit of the doubt."

Further Reading

- See the Muskogee Phoenix comments on the Farm Bill proposal by clicking here.