WASHINGTON, DC — Following the Congressional testimony offered by Turkey Federation at the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Health Care and Entitlements, Growth Energy released the following statement:
“Obviously the Turkey Federation is only interested in cheap feed. We are deeply sorry to hear that their feathers are ruffled, but blaming ethanol for their problems simply does not add up. The facts do not support it, and no matter how many times they repeat this misinformation, it will not change reality.
“Time and again the ethanol industry has definitively proven that only 17.5 percent of the corn crop is used for ethanol production, not over 40 percent as the Turkey Federation claimed in their testimony. Poultry groups conveniently forget to take into account that when ethanol is produced, only the starch, which makes up 1/3 of the kernel, is used in the production of fuel; the rest – including the oil, fiber and protein – is returned to the food chain in the form of a high-protein animal feed that is both less expensive than corn and is more nutritious.
“The facts show that the largest driver in the increase in food is the cost of crude oil, yet folks from the Turkey Federation and special interest groups continue to recycle Big Oil’s talking points in order to keep our country addicted to foreign oil.
“A recent World Bank study outlines how crude oil prices are responsible for 50 percent of the increase in food prices since 2004.
“Furthermore, ethanol production has helped lead to the most robust and successful farm economy in history – to try and say that it has hurt rural America is simply absurd.”
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About Growth Energy
Growth Energy represents the producers and supporters of ethanol who feed the world and fuel America in ways that achieve energy independence, improve economic well-being and create a healthier environment for all Americans now. For more information, please visit us at www.GrowthEnergy.org, follow us on Twitter @GrowthEnergy or connect with us on Facebook.