Pork producers lead coalition to appeal NFPA sprinkler decision

National Pork Producers Council Chief Legal Strategist Michael Formica recently led a coalition of agricultural groups in an appeal before the National Fire Protection Association’s Standards Council over a decision earlier this summer to change the fire code to require livestock barns to install sprinkler systems. The coalition was supported in its appeal by the insurance industry, the Farm Credit Council, the American Association of Swine Veterinarians and others. The sprinkler requirement was introduced by the Sprinkler Fitters Union and the Animal Welfare Institute. In 2012, a similar version of this language, introduced by the Humane Society of the United States, was rejected by NFPA. NPPC detailed the numerous procedural irregularities in the development and adoption of the standard and provided examples of biosecurity risks and how sprinklers would do more harm in farm operations. NPPC discussed the need for data-driven fire solutions to better understand the cause of fires in