The National Chicken Council is asking for a repeal of the Renewable Fuels Standard for conventional biofuels which it said has resulted in more than $44 billion in higher feed costs to chicken producers since 2007.

William Roenigk testified on behalf of the NCC before a US House of Representatives subcommittee in April.

In his testimony, Roenigk addressed a number of challenges the poultry industry is facing which he said will reach a record high production this year of 38.1 billion pounds.

Despite the record, he said the industry would produce more, but it is unable to. Roenigk said the renewable fuel standard can be attributed to the industry’s inability to do so, calling it a failed policy.

“The devastating impact of an inflexible renewable fuel standard for conventional biofuels, especially following the somewhat unprecedented drought of 2012 that severely reduced the corn harvest, continues to have broad and deep ramifications,” Roenigk said.

Roenigk said the federal ethanol policy and resulting higher feed costs has forced no less than a dozen chicken companies out of business.

“In the end, consumers are once again paying the price for a biofuels policy and program that are broken beyond repair,” Roenigk said.

Roenigk said there is no opposition to ethanol, but there needs to be a level playing field for chicken and agricultural producers to more fairly compete for the supplies of corn. Because of this, he said the standard needs to be repealed.