House passes Friel bills to clean up Pennsylvania’s use of FPR fertilizer
Rep. Paul Friel October 21, 2024 | 4:24 PM
HARRISBURG, Oct. 21 – The Pennsylvania House today voted in broad bipartisan fashion to pass two of state Rep. Paul Friel’s bills changing the way that Pennsylvania handles and safeguards food-processing residuals – creating a statewide tracking process, updating operating procedures, and putting appropriate guardrails in place.
Food processing residuals, also known as FPR, are the leftover product created by commercial food processing. Food processing residuals can include vegetable peelings, raw meat scraps, and liquid-like cleaning fluid that includes blood, fat, hair and feathers, and a variety of other vegetable and animal byproducts and chemicals used to process them.
While FPR can be used to fertilize the soil, it can create numerous problems if care is not taken. For example, some areas of Pennsylvania have seen groundwater contamination. Many other areas find themselves dealing with consistent, noxious odors. Compounding the issue, surrounding states have heavily restricted or banned the use of FPR, making Pennsylvania a target for cheaply offloading the commercial product.
Under H.B. 2393, the Department of Environmental Protection in coordination with the Department of Agriculture and the State Conservation Commission will update guidance for those who store and apply FPR and would require the creation of a land application system to guide how, when, and in what quantities FPR can be applied.
House Bill 2594 would require DEP, in consultation with the SCC and the Agriculture Department, to establish a certification program for the haulers and brokers of FPR. Certifications would be in effect for three years and eligible for renewal if the hauler or broker has completed six credits of continuing education as approved by DEP.
“These two bills, representing a lasting legislative solution, are the result of bipartisan collaboration and the expert input from the departments of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, local community members, farmers, conservation specialists and industry leaders,” said Friel, D-Chester. “FPR must be used in a responsible manner in order to serve the sustainability of our food supply, improve soil health, safeguard groundwater quality, and prevent odor and other nuisances affecting our communities.”
Without the bills, there is currently no mechanism tracking the use of FPR, no testing, and no central complaint system for people experiencing issues related to FPR. Friel also noted that the FPR manual for Pennsylvania had not been updated since June 1994. Modernizing the manual to address current realities is at the top of the list in terms of needed changes, he said.