Fun fact: Did you know the U.S. is one of the top producers of aquatic and marine foods worldwide? Now you do. The real kicker: it’s also the second largest seafood importer.
Are we really eating that much seafood? We’re importing like it’s going out of style: aka 80-90% of seafood products consumed by Americans are brought in from overseas. However, our friends over at the University of Maine have crunched a lot of numbers and have come to the conclusion that the U.S. could actually achieve seafood independence. In other words, we could entirely meet all our seafood needs through our own production.
What would that look like? For that to happen, our friends from Maine reported in their study (published in the academic journal Ocean Sustainability) that consumer trends would have to shift. There would also have to be some investments in infrastructure and continued adaptation to climate change.
What would seafood independence mean? It would give the U.S. increased food security, as national seafood consumption has increased in the past century. The golden child of this movement? Alaska—home to two-thirds of the nation’s seafood harvest annually for the past three decades.
Soundbite: “There is a tendency to forget that seafood is an integral part of the nation’s food system, but achieving greater seafood independence can improve equity, health, and buffers from climate change.” — Joshua Stoll, UMaine associate professor of marine policy and study co-author
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Congress to EPA: What’s Your BEEF with Meat Packers?
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering new regulations that take aim at meat and poultry processors.
And some members of Congress have a BEEF with the EPA’s proposals.
The proposed rules: In late January, the EPA released the details of its proposed “Clean Water Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Meat and Poultry Products Point source category.”
Huh?
Basically, the EPA formally published its proposals to combat wastewater contaminants that come from slaughterhouses.
Okay… that makes more sense.
At the heart of the rules proposal is a concern from environmental groups about nitrogen and phosphorus pollutants that originate from slaughterhouses. In some cases, the wastewater goes directly into waterways. In other cases, the water goes to municipal wastewater treatment facilities.
But not everyone is on board with the EPA’s suggestions…
Congress responds: Last week, two U.S. representatives—Eric Burlison (MO) and Ron Estes (KS)—pushed back against the EPA and introduced the “Banning EPA’s Encroachment of Facilities (BEEF) Act.” If passed and signed by President Biden, the law would prohibit the EPA from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing the rule.
According to the lawmakers, the proposed rules place undue burden on small processors—costs that can be absorbed by larger companies.
Soundbite: “The… proposed regulation isn’t just an attack on family-run small businesses, it’s an attack on rural communities,” said Burlison. “These meat and poultry processors are the lifeblood of our communities. The BEEF Act… lets these hardworking Americans do what they do best, produce safe, affordable food for our families.”
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