UEP surveyed members of the UEP Environment Committee and Board regarding contact with their local “first responders.”  The survey results, while no surprise, spoke volumes about why egg producers succeed in this country as much more than just business people.

Environmental activists will surely challenge the farm emissions exclusion from EPCRA, recently citing in a related lawsuit that manure "emit[s] dangerous quantities of toxic gas“ and that no reporting "leaves communities vulnerable…without the information necessary to protect against these harmful releases…”  UEP staff conducted the survey to support the proposed rule and defend against the activists’ challenges.

UEP’s survey reached operations with more than half of the nation’s laying hen flock (about 179 million hens)  being managed at 185 farm and ranch locations.  The results illustrate the alliances that already exist between egg farmers and their local first responders.  UEP applauds and supports these egg producers’ efforts, not only because it directly refutes the environmental community’s claims about the need for EPCRA reporting, but because it is a concrete demonstration of how egg producers conduct themselves as responsible business people and supporters of their communities.

If your organization is not in contact with your first responders, UEP encourages you to consider making such contact on a regular basis.  The basic information required is easy to provide and could prove to make the difference in protecting your businesses, families, staffs, and the health and safety of first responders.