Livestock groups seek drought relief with ethanol waiver

Reuters
By Michael Hirtzer
Mon Jul 30, 2012 2:46pm EDT

(Reuters) - Hard-hit livestock and poultry producers petitioned the government on Monday to reduce or cancel the required use of ethanol in gasoline for a year, asking for "a little help" to ride out the worst drought in 56 years.

The request for a first-ever waiver from the federal Environmental Protection Agency's mandate, which in essence requires that more than a third of the U.S. corn harvest be converted into ethanol, comes as grain prices surge to record highs, driving up feed costs and squeezing profits for producers.

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