Virginia farmers and brokers involved in the sale and transfer of poultry litter will face new reporting requirements aimed at monitoring and reducing pollutants flowing into the Chesapeake Bay.
Under the revised regulations, poultry growers with permits for transferring their litter to other users are now mandated to submit detailed transaction data for the previous year by September 15th. Additionally, users of poultry litter will be required to report their activities to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, with this requirement set to take effect in 2024.
Previously, poultry growers were obligated to maintain records and provide them upon request during inspections. However, the state is now taking a more proactive approach to comprehensively track the movement of poultry litter.
This shift in regulations is driven by the state’s commitment to gaining a clearer understanding of the extent to which nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients are entering the Chesapeake Bay, a vital waterway facing environmental challenges.
While these new reporting requirements may pose additional burdens for poultry producers, they have the potential to reveal that the industry is contributing less pollution than previously assumed, as it increasingly diverts waste to other destinations. The President of the Virginia Poultry Federation expressed optimism about the impact of these regulations, emphasizing their potential to highlight the industry’s efforts to mitigate pollution and safeguard the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.
