WASHINGTON — President and Chief Executive Officer of Pet Food Institute Dana Brooks testified at an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hearing on renewable fuel on Jan. 11. During her testimony, Brooks asked the agency to consider the constraints renewable fuel standards would create for pet food processors.

“We are not only concerned about the price of ingredients as three more renewable diesel facilities go online in 2023, but we are also fearful of being unable to adequately source the quantity and quality of critical government recommended and required ingredients to feed the pets in more than 90 million US households,” she said.

The EPA is currently proposing new renewable fuel standards through 2025 that would force processors to unfairly compete with fuel producers, according to Brooks. PFI acknowledges the need for viable energy options and alternative fuel sources but claims that establishing government mandates and incentives on renewable energy could have unintended consequences for pet and human food producers.

“We accept that we must compete in the market, but when the market is subsidized by multiple government agencies and the White House, we are unable to fairly compete for products,” Brooks said.

During her testimony, Brooks urged the EPA to calculate the acreage of US farmland needed to meet the feedstock for renewable fuels, which would not take into account ingredients needed for pet food.

The EPA is proposing a rule to create required Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) volumes and percentage standards from 2023 to 2025. The standards would apply to cellulosic biofuel, biomass diesel, advanced biofuel and total renewable fuels.

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