Excerpt
In the summer of 1995, North Carolina's coastal plain was flooded with over 40 million gallons of untreated animal manure and feed-lot waste as a result of the catastrophic failure of animal waste lagoons at seven hog production facilities. In the following months, an estimated 15 million fish died in North Carolina's coastal waters as a result of nutrient overenrichment, attributable in part to hog waste. State officials closed thousands of acres of shellfishing grounds and posted health warnings along several rivers.
The dramatic nature of these incidents brought needed attention to the limitations of North Carolina's regulatory program for the swine industry. However, the lagoon spills represent only the most visible of the widespread threats to the environment and public health that the swine industry imposes on our coastal and rural communities As North Carolina struggles to repair its tarnished public image, these environmental problems continue to mount.
Growing pains
Several years ago, Virginia-based Smithfield Foods, Inc., saw vast, untapped economic potential in the Carolinas. It was having problems complying with the wastewater permit for its Virginia slaughterhouse, and regulatory officials there refused to relax the state's standards. In …
Footnotes
Michelle Nowlin is an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center. Garth W. Boyd is director of Land and Nutrient Management, Murphy Family Farms.
- Copyright 1997 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
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