US Lawmakers Propose Payments to Livestock Farmers for Climate-Friendly Practices, According to Reuters

By Leah Douglas

Farmers in the United States who operate large-scale livestock facilities could receive financial assistance from President Joe Biden’s climate legislation to adopt more sustainable farming practices. This initiative is part of bills introduced in both the House and Senate.

Importance of the Initiative

Agriculture contributes approximately 10% of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, with a significant portion stemming from livestock farming and fertilizer use. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), enacted in 2022, allocated nearly $20 billion to help decrease greenhouse gas emissions within the agricultural sector.

Background Information

The U.S. industrial livestock industry raises around 1.7 billion animals, generating waste that is double that of the entire human population, as reported by the environmental organization Food & Water Watch. These operations can also create severe air and water pollution.

The recent legislation, proposed by Alma Adams in the House and Cory Booker in the Senate, aims to utilize IRA funds to assist industrial livestock farmers in mitigating their environmental footprint by transitioning to pasture-based systems or switching to organic crop production.

Resistance may come from Republican lawmakers who prefer that IRA funds be redirected toward other initiatives within the long-awaited farm spending bill currently being developed by Congress.

In February, Adams, Booker, and several congressional colleagues sent a letter to the USDA, advocating for the IRA funds to be allocated exclusively to the most effective climate-smart farming techniques. Environmental advocates have critiqued certain USDA-sanctioned practices, such as capturing methane from livestock for energy conversion, arguing their environmental benefits are overstated.

Key Quote

"Farmers want to produce food in ways that are good for people and the planet but aren’t always empowered to do so in a consolidated food system like ours," stated Adams. "The bill unlocks climate-forward conservation dollars to assist producers who want to transition out of the factory farm model."