Meat and Poultry Products Effluent Guidelines

EPA initially promulgated the Meat and Poultry Products (MPP) Effluent Guidelines and Standards in 1974, and amended the regulation in 2004. The regulation (40 CFR Part 432) covers wastewater directly dischargeddirectly dischargedA point source that discharges pollutants to waters of the United States, such as streams, lakes, or oceans. by slaughterhouses, further processors, independent renderers and poultry processors. The requirements are incorporated into NPDES permits.

On this page:

• Facilities Covered
• Current Rulemaking
• Rulemaking History
• Additional Information

Facilities Covered

Direct Dischargers—Existing and New Sources

• All meat first processors (slaughterhouses)
• Meat further processors that generate more than 6,000 pounds per day of finished products (examples: bacon or sausage)
• Independent renderers of meat and poultry products that use more than 10 million pounds per year of raw material
• Poultry first processors (slaughterhouses) that slaughter more than 100 million pounds per year
• Poultry further processors that generate more than 7 million pounds per year of finished products (examples: ready-to-cook chicken cutlets or ground turkey)

Direct Dischargers—New Sources

• All poultry first processors
• All poultry further processors

Current Rulemaking

As announced in Preliminary Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 15 (September 2021), EPA has completed a detailed study of the MPP category and is preparing a rulemaking to revise the 2004 regulation. The 2004 regulation only applies to about 300 of the estimated 7,000 MPP facilities nationwide. Recent data indicate that MPP facilities discharge the highest phosphorus levels and second highest nitrogen levels of all industrial categories, and that MPP facilities are causing problems for POTWs that receive MPP wastewater via indirect discharges. Some MPP facilities are already removing nutrients in their wastewater, achieving effluent concentrations well below the limitations in the 2004 regulation.

Rulemaking History

2004 Rule

• Final Rule - Federal Register notice (September 8, 2004)
  • Technical Development Document for the Final Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Meat and Poultry Products Point Source Category (pdf) (2004, 821-R-04-011)
    Describes industry processes, pollutants generated, available control and treatment technologies, the technical basis for the final rule, and costs of the rule (821-R-04-011; 2004)
  • Economic and Environmental Benefits Analysis of the Final Meat and Poultry Products Rule (pdf) (February 2004, 821-R-04-010) (821-R-04-010; February 2004)
• Proposed Rule - Federal Register notice (February 25, 2002)

Additional Information