Poultry industry professionals gathered at the 2026 USPOULTRY Environmental Management Seminar to examine evolving environmental and regulatory issues affecting poultry and egg operations. The program provided attendees with practical insight into regulatory developments, social responsibility audits and nutrient treatment and removal, including strategies for managing phosphorus and nitrogen in poultry processing wastewater.

Paul Bredwell, executive vice president of regulatory programs at USPOULTRY, provided an update on environmental and regulatory issues affecting the poultry and egg industry, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, Waters of the United States, extended producer responsibility laws and ongoing litigation, proposed drone flight restrictions to strengthen biosecurity and disease prevention. Bredwell also highlighted evolving effluent limitation guidelines and emissions reporting.

Speaking on a Social Responsibility Audits panel, Doster Harper, director of sustainability at Rose Acre Farms, and Neal Powell, director of environmental compliance at Perdue Farms, discussed the role of social compliance audits and strategies companies can use to prepare for them. Moderated by Michele Boney, director of sustainability at West Liberty Foods, the panel addressed labor standards, health and safety, environmental compliance and business ethics, as well as common environmental considerations such as permits, water use, waste management and chemical storage. Harper and Powell emphasized the importance of ongoing audit readiness, encouraging companies to develop internal checklists, remain organized, communicate early and often, understand company policies and be transparent throughout the audit process.

During the nutrient treatment and removal portion of the program, Dr. Brian Kiepper, associate professor at the University of Georgia, discussed strategies for reducing phosphorus and nitrogen in poultry processing wastewater. Kiepper emphasized in-plant source reduction, including preventing nutrient-rich organic materials from entering the waste stream, as a more cost-effective approach than removing those nutrients later. Mike McCauley, regional sales manager at Polytec, discussed breakpoint chlorination and biological upset recovery, including common causes of nitrification failure and the appropriate use of breakpoint chlorination during ammonia emergencies. Jonathan Green, regulatory compliance manager at Mar-Jac Poultry, concluded the session with an overview of wastewater technologies for phosphorus and nitrogen removal, including biological nitrogen removal, enhanced biological phosphorus removal and tertiary filtration.

USPOULTRY’s annual Clean Water Award winners were also announced during the seminar. The award is presented annually to poultry facilities that excel in their commitment to treat wastewater to standards that meet and often exceed their permit requirements, identify water reuse opportunities and implement initiatives to advance the overall sustainability of the facility. Awards are given in two categories: full treatment and pretreatment. This year, Darling Ingredients in Fayetteville, N.C., was selected as the winner in the pretreatment category and Pilgrim’s in Mayfield, Ky., was selected as the winner in the full treatment category.

An honorable mention with distinction in the pretreatment category was presented to Perdue Farms’  Draper Valley Farms, in Mount Vernon, Wash., and an honorable mention with distinction award in the full treatment category was presented to Pilgrim’s in Cold Spring, Minn.