Tyson asked to require corn, soybean growers to provide 'pollution-free feed'

Donnelle Eller
The Des Moines Register

Tyson should require corn and soybean growers in Iowa and elsewhere to provide "pollution-free feed" for the pigs, chickens and cattle that the Arkansas-based meat giant uses, an environmental group says in a new report.

Tyson Foods and other giant meat processors' "demand for feed crops is driving widespread water contamination across the country," and companies should require corn and soybean growers to take action that prevents the loss of nitrogen and phosphorus, said Mighty Earth, a Washington, D.C., environmental group.

Iowa is the nation's largest pork producer, raising about 50 million pigs annually.

The report, released Tuesday, looked at the environmental impact of Tyson, Smithfield, JBS USA and other meat processors, as well as grain processors Cargill, Bunge and Archer Daniels Midland Co.

The group examined watershed nitrate levels and grassland conversion with the locations of meat and grain processors.

It found Tyson was "the dominant meat company in all the regions suffering the worst environmental impacts from industrial meat and feed production — from grassland clearing in Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas, to manure and fertilizer pollution pouring into waterways from the heartland down to the Gulf states," the report said.

Tyson, the nation's largest meat company, said it doesn't agree with the group’s "characterization of our company but share its interest in protecting the environment."

Tyson said in a statement it publicly discloses its environmental efforts and recently announced it's collaborating with the World Resources Institute "to develop goals for improving our environmental footprint."

The report says Tyson and Smithfield each have six major pork-processing facilities in Iowa.

"Iowa, where 65 percent of the state is covered in corn and soy, is suffering the highest concentrations of nitrate pollution in the country," at levels in some watersheds "far exceeding the federal standard for safe drinking water."

Nitrates in water leaving utilities must not exceed 10 milligrams of per liter, under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.

More:Is your drinking water safe? Environmental group says the answer may be 'no'

Iowa leads the nation in corn, pork and egg production, and is the second-largest soybean and seventh-largest cattle producer.

Iowa farmers have worked to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus losses, under the state's Nutrient Reduction Strategy.

The state seeks to cut by 45 percent nitrogen and phosphorus levels that contribute to the Gulf of Mexico dead zone, an area that's unable to support aquatic life.

It's expected to be the third-largest ever this summer, roughly the size of New Jersey.

Mark Peterson, a farmer near Stanton who has reviewed the report, said it may be impossible to produce "pollution-free feed."

"What are you going to do, go back to farming with horses?" Peterson said. "Every time you fire up a tractor to plant — or a sprayer or combine — you're going to create pollution.

"It sounds good, but achievable? Probably not," he said, adding that some nitrogen and phosphorus is lost naturally each year.

But farmers can adopt conservation practices — such as no-till or conservation tillage, cover crops, buffers and grass waterways — that reduce nutrient losses, Peterson said.

Mighty Earth wants Tyson and other meat producers to "ensure all animal feed comes from suppliers" who can verify policies to prevent nutrient losses.

It also wants meat producers to include small grains — such as wheat, oats and barley — in animal feed to help farmers diversify the crops they grow, a move that can help soil health.

Peterson said he tests his tile lines and found that he could mostly keep his nitrates under 10 milligrams per liter.

"We can stay within standards that are acceptable to places such as Des Moines Water Works," he said.

And "I think you can do it without going to extreme measures."