ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Sen. Charles Schumer says federal regulators have agreed to back off a proposal the nation’s craft beer brewers said would hurt their businesses.
Schumer had called Monday for the Food and Drug Administration to abandon a proposed regulatory change he said would make it too expensive for brewers to recycle spent grain by providing it to dairy farmers.
He says Thursday FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg agreed to revise the rule to avoid “unintended consequences” that would harm brewers and farmers.
Brewers provide spent grain to dairy farmers as a low-cost or free source of cow feed.
The proposal would have classified companies that distribute spent grain as animal feed manufacturers. The classification would have meant new requirements for brewers that would drive up their costs and force higher beer prices.
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