The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Technical Committee on Animal Housing—the body that oversees development and revisions of the Fire and Life Safety in Animal Housing Facilities Code (NFPA 150)—has taken a monumental step toward strengthening protections for farmed animals by requiring sprinkler systems in agriculture facilities housing animals that meet a certain size. Under the new requirement—approved at the NFPA Technical Meeting in June—beginning in 2025, newly built commercial agriculture operations of a size sufficient to be considered “medium concentrated animal feeding operations” (as defined by the US Environmental Protection Agency) would be required to install sprinkler systems, unless exempted by a local fire authority. Depending on the species and size of the animals at the farm, this would cover buildings housing anywhere from several hundred to tens of thousands of animals or more.
Unsurprisingly, the animal agriculture industry is fighting vociferously to have the requirement removed prior to finalization of the 2025 code. Industry representatives first filed a motion to have the language stricken, which failed in a vote of 161–210 at the Technical Meeting. In a last-ditch effort, a coalition of industry players led by the National Pork Producers has filed an appeal, which will be heard and voted on by the NFPA’s Standards Council at the end of August. AWI plans to provide comments opposing the appeal to help ensure this life-saving requirement is retained.