AFIA Applauds US House’s Introduction of the EMIT LESS Act

ARLINGTON, Va. – June 11, 2024 – The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) applauds Representatives Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas-30, and Marc Molinaro, R-N.Y.-19, on the introduction of the Enteric Methane Innovation Tools for Lower Emissions and Sustainable Stock (EMIT LESS) Act. By expanding the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s research and incentivizing the adoption of emissions-reducing practices on farms, the bill aims to mitigate the environmental impact of enteric methane emissions from American dairy and beef cattle operations.

AFIA President and CEO Constance Cullman issued the following statement upon the bill’s introduction:
“We appreciate Representatives Crockett and Molinaro for introducing a bipartisan bill that enhances our nation’s agricultural research and conservation efforts while acknowledging the critical role that animal nutrition and innovative feed ingredients play in lowering on-farm enteric methane emissions. The EMIT LESS Act demonstrates our country’s commitment to investing in a more sustainable future alongside animal food innovators.”
The bill complements the Senate version, S. 4056, introduced in March, and includes key provisions such as integrating emissions-reduction practices into the USDA’s conservation programs and providing cost-sharing incentives to farmers that voluntarily adopt them. Supported by a diverse coalition, including agricultural and environmental groups, the bill represents a bipartisan effort to promote sustainability in the agriculture sector.

The AFIA believes this bill will bring the United States closer to meeting its Global Methane Pledge, which intends to reduce methane emissions by 30% below 2020 levels by 2030. Feed and feed ingredients, such as methane inhibitors and modifiers, offer a promising avenue for achieving this goal, but the country will only realize their full benefits should farmers elect to use them once they have made it to market approval. The U.S. agricultural value chain needs legislation like this and the Innovative FEED Act (S.1842/H.R. 6687) to effectively leverage these novel feed ingredients to meet its methane reduction targets and pave the way for sustainable livestock production practices worldwide.

More information on the bill can be found on Rep. Crockett’s website.