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Through litigation, legislative and administrative advocacy, and communications, Earthjustice’s Sustainable Food and Farming team advances the transition to a cleaner, safer, and more climate-friendly food system.

Trump administration shields polluters as animal factories emissions kill more people than coal plants

Conservation and community groups appealed a federal court decision upholding a Trump Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule that exempts factory farms from their duty to make information about dangerous air emissions available to the public. The decision, issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, leaves frontline communities in the dark about noxious chemicals in the air they breathe. The groups will argue on appeal that the Trump administration’s rule is unlawful.

10 organizations petition federal court over EPA’s abandonment of rules to reduce pollution from meat processing industry

Groups filed their petition with the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit after the Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency on August 28 announced that it would throw out rules planned by the Biden administration that would have, for the first time, imposed limits on phosphorus pollution from 126 meat industry plants across the U.S., eliminating at least eight million pounds of this pollutant per year, plus nine million pounds of nitrogen and other pollutants, including fecal bacteria and grease.

La decisión de la agencia permitirá que los mataderos y las plantas de procesamiento de alimentos sigan siendo los principales descargadores industriales de contaminación por nitrógeno y fósforo, aumentando el riesgo de que el agua no sea apta ni para beber ni para la recreación al aire libre, y que no sea habitable para la vida acuática.

EPA’s decision will allow slaughterhouses and rendering facilities to remain leading industrial dischargers of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution, which can render water unsafe for drinking, unfit for outdoor recreation, and uninhabitable for aquatic life

Earthjustice’s clients will use these grants to work toward a healthier nation and a fairer food system

It is past time to address the crisis of PFAS-contaminated farmland. EPA must promptly finalize its risk assessment for PFOA and PFOS in sewage sludge, publish appropriate regulations, and begin evaluating risks associated with other PFAS chemicals in sludge.

Preliminary injunction granted in lawsuit against USDA ordering restoration of wrongfully terminated grants and funding that support tree planting, growing food in underserved communities, training new farmers, and helping farmers adopt climate-friendly practices

The Trump administration’s energy and environmental policies are accelerating climate change — and a warming planet means more extreme weather.

Letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concerning the Draft Sewage Sludge Risk Assessment for PFOA and PFOS, urging EPA to finalize the risk assessment and regulate PFOA and PFOS in sewage sludge.

Preliminary injunction granted in United States Department of Agriculture Grants Termination lawsuit allowing for restoration of vital grants and funding that support tree planting, growing food in underserved communities, training new farmers, and helping farmers adopt climate-friendly practices.

Preliminary injunction granted in United States Department of Agriculture Grants Termination lawsuit allowing for restoration of vital grants and funding that support tree planting, growing food in underserved communities, training new farmers, and helping farmers adopt climate-friendly practices.

A dive into food and agriculture greenhouse gas emissions and net greenhouse gas reduction pathways

Animal Legal Defense Fund accuses the U.S. Department of Agriculture and its Agricultural Marketing Service of unlawfully withholding records related to federally funded beef advertisements that allegedly mislead the public about beef’s climate and environmental impact. The Freedom of Information Act complaint seeks to compel disclosure of documents showing how the government approved ads promoting beef as climate-friendly — despite evidence that industrial beef production significantly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss, and water overuse.

Earthjustice Public Hearing Testimony on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Proposed Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), July 2025

The preliminary injunction urges the court to order restoration of vital grants and funding that support tree planting, growing food in underserved communities, training new farmers, and helping farmers adopt climate-friendly practices