North Carolina

From Subsistence Farming in Namibia to Modern Pig Farming in North Carolina

Tue, 26 Nov 2024 19:13:44 GMT

As a foreign resident, I often find myself oscillating between multiple cultures, navigating the space where they intersect. In this dynamic, I continually compare my experiences and seek opportunities to merge these worlds. During my second semester at North Carolina State University, our professor introduced us to a developmental opportunity called the Emerging NC Pork Leader program.

This initiative aims to equip young leaders in North Carolina for careers in the pork industry and as ambassadors for the sector. I was fortunate to be selected as one of the members of the program’s first cohort, an experience that has stayed with me long after I graduated, left North Carolina, and transitioned into opportunities outside the pork industry. I gained invaluable insights into leadership and learned how intentionality can profoundly impact an industry and its people.

Growing up in a village in the northern part of Namibia, subsistence farming combining both animal and plant-based practices was essential for survival. However, hog farming was uncommon, and several myths surrounded it. For instance, farmers believed that hog manure couldn’t be used as fertilizer and that pigs were unruly and difficult to manage. I witnessed small-scale, informal hog farming through my grandmother, who would feed the pigs whatever food scraps were available since “pigs can eat anything.” The slaughter of pigs was a rare and exciting event, given the scarcity of pork.

Being part of the Emerging NC Pork Leader program exposed me to a stark contrast in approaches to pork farming between North Carolina and Northern Namibia. In addition to large-scale farming, the North Carolina Pork Council has demonstrated a clear sense of intentionality and commitment to the pork industry. It has fostered collaboration among academia, farmers, and government agencies, which I believe has a significant impact on animal welfare.

They have also implemented initiatives to reduce their environmental impact, such as reducing methane emissions. This is achieved using microbiology, specifically employing microbes in manure digestion. The process converts pig manure into soil nutrients, while the released methane is captured and used as biofuel. This initiative highlights the industry’s commitment to both its community and the environment.

The North Carolina Pork Council has also taken on significant roles in the industry, including serving as the voice of the pork industry and providing excellent mentorship to young professionals in North Carolina by connecting them with accomplished individuals in various positions within the industry. Additionally, the Council plays a vital role in public health, education, and fostering meaningful leadership, which I believe is crucial for the growth and sustainability of hog farming.

I believe that such a commitment to the pork industry could be highly beneficial if implemented in Namibia. It could improve community livelihoods and contribute positively to the socio-economic status of rural areas in the country.

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North Carolina Appeals Court Upholds Waste-to-Energy Plans on Hog Farms

Thu, 07 Dec 2023 19:45:10 GMT

In a recent decision, the North Carolina Court of Appeals has sided with the state’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and Murphy-Brown LLC, allowing them to proceed with plans to harness energy from animal waste, reports the Associated Press (AP).

The unanimous ruling by a three-judge panel rejected challenges from environmental groups, emphasizing that the permit applications were appropriately scrutinized before approval.

Murphy-Brown LLC sought permits for four hog farms in Duplin and Sampson counties to construct anaerobic waste digestion systems in December 2019. These systems would cover portions of open-air lagoons containing animal waste, enabling the capture of methane and other biogas for energy production.

The permits were initially challenged by two environmental groups, the Environmental Justice Community Action Network and Cape Fear River Watch.

The groups argued that the approved permits did not adhere to the strict pollution limits mandated by state law. They contended that the permits would result in increased pollution, posing a threat to the water sources relied upon by their members, AP reports.

The groups claimed that DEQ failed to consider certain environmental standards outlined in state law, emphasizing the requirement for the utilization of waste treatment and disposal alternatives with the least adverse impact on the environment.

Despite the environmental groups appealing DEQ’s authorizations in 2021 to an administrative law judge and a Superior Court judge, both appeals were unsuccessful.

Writing for the panel, Judge Jefferson Griffin stated that DEQ was not obligated to consider the standards presented by the permit opponents. He highlighted that state law provides a regulatory process with less burden for such operations, along with its own requirements for best management practices and performance standards.

The ruling is tempered by the fact that DEQ later issued general permits for three of the four farms, superseding the previous permits but still allowing the construction of anaerobic digesters. The environmental groups have filed separate, pending challenges against these new permits, the opinion notes.

Additionally, the opinion says a state law that took effect in October emphasizes the necessity for a distinct permit process for animal waste management systems, separate from permits for other sources of water pollution.

The North Carolina Appeals Court’s decision signifies a legal victory for hog farms seeking to harness energy from animal waste. Despite environmental concerns raised by advocacy groups, the court ruled that the permit applications underwent appropriate scrutiny and adhered to state regulations.

However, the ongoing challenges against the new permits indicate that the debate over the environmental impact of hog farm waste management systems is far from over.

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NC Attorney General Urges SCOTUS to Take Up Ag-Gag Law

Tue, 15 Aug 2023 19:02:50 GMT

The North Carolina State Attorney General’s Office has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear an appeal of North Carolina’s ag-gag law, twice struck down by lower courts as unconstitutional on First Amendment grounds.

But animal activist groups including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the Animal Legal Defense Fund and other opponents of the law told the high court the Fourth Circuit’s ruling should stand.

In 2015, North Carolina passed the Property Protection Act to prevent activists from misrepresenting themselves in order to gain access and secretly film activities in the plants. It allowed courts to assess civil penalties of $5,000 per day on employees who documented alleged wrongdoing – in video, audio, or written work – from a business’s non-public areas, and then passed that information to anyone besides the employer or law enforcement.

Two years later, a federal judge declared the law violated Constitutional provisions protecting free speech.

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, along with the North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation, filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court in May. The state argued a Supreme Court decision is necessary to clarify the various courts’ legal interpretations, as well as the nation’s “patchwork” of similar laws. In a half-dozen other states, the courts have also struck down the laws as unconstitutional or greatly limited their scope, NC News Online reports .

Last week, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the Animal Defense Fund and several other groups responded in a court filing. They argue the law unconstitutionally suppresses their right to conduct undercover animal-cruelty investigations and to publicize what they learn, Law360 reports .

The activist groups claim the law restricts employees from talking publicly about what’s happening at their workplace or in areas of their workplace that are not open to the general public. They contend that the law even tries to penalize actions like reporting problems to government agencies or speaking out about important issues in front of lawmakers.

The state argued that certain types of speech, like audio-visual recordings, should not be protected by the First Amendment in certain situations. The state also questioned whether the First Amendment should apply at all on private property, regardless of the type of speech involved.

In separate petitions for writ of certiorari, North Carolina and the Farm Bureau said the First Amendment does not protect the animal and environmental groups’ potentially illegal activities as defined by the act, Law360 reports.

“The animal groups slammed the Farm Bureau and state’s arguments. They said the state conceded audiovisual recording is typically ‘protected speech’ while at the same time arguing any such recordings should be excluded from First Amendment protection when it occurs as part of the groups’ work,” the Law360 article said.

The North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation’s Secretary and General Counsel, Jake Parker, said the animal groups’ brief underscored why the Supreme Court should take the case.

“Fundamental private property rights are at stake here, and the activists misread the Supreme Court’s First Amendment cases to justify blatant invasions of private businesses,” Parker said in a statement Thursday. “This case is an excellent vehicle for the court to clarify that the First Amendment does not immunize trespassing and theft.”

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https://www.meatingplace.com/Industry/News/Details/110997

State Associations Elect Board Members and Honor Leaders of Swine Industry

Wed, 09 Mar 2022 15:00:53 GMT

Four Honored with 2022 North Carolina Pork Council Awards

At the North Carolina Pork Council’s annual conference, four individuals received upstanding awards for their efforts on behalf of the state’s swine industry, explains a recent news release.

Hall of Fame: Bob Ivey of Goldsboro, N.C., receives highest honor of induction into the N.C. Pork Council Hall of Fame, recognized for a lifetime of achievements and contributions to the swine industry. Many significant advancements in the industry resulted from Ivey’s work over several decades. Ivey’s career includes developing a four-way crossbreed, producing silky pork for the Japanese market and multiple commercial and sow production facilities and systems, as well as adopting pen gestation across a large production system. He remains active through his ICFS swine genetics business.

Outstanding Pork Producer: Owner of Turnbull Company LLC in White Oak, N.C., Bob Livingston and his wife operate a 2,400-head sow farm through Smithfield Hog Production and consistently rank in the top 5 for production in sow farms. At Turnbull Company, safety on the farm and treating one another with dignity and respect are among the top priorities, which led Livingston to learn to speak various languages of his employees.

W.W. Shay Award for Industry Distinction: Exhibiting outstanding service to the pork industry, Charmae Kendall of Magnolia, N.C., has been invaluable at the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service teaching youth about the agriculture industry. Her drive and hard work have led to the Duplin County 4-H Pig Project, in partnership with Smithfield Hog Production, that engages 40 local youth in an eight-week swine-centered learning experience.

Emerging Leader: Rising from unfortunate circumstances, Josh Coombs of Clinton, N.C., inherited the family farm that was previously owned and operated by his father and grandfather. Contracting with Prestage Farms, Josh and his wife have grown the operation from four to 12 hog barns and added four nursery barns. Josh is a full-time fireman, has served as a member of the North Carolina Pork Board, and dedicates time to many other local and state level groups and associations.

Minnesota Pork Producers Association Announces New Board Members

Elected to serve three-year terms as Minnesota Pork Producers Association (MPPA) board members, Vice-President Vince Baack of North Mankato, Brandon Schafer of Goodhue, and Tim Schwartz of Sleepy Eye will lead and serve members through influencing public policy at local, state and national levels.

“The Minnesota Pork Producers Association board of directors is diverse, representing the broad range of farms found throughout the state,” says John Anderson, board president, in a release.

The recently elected members join Anderson of Belgrade, Secretary Adam Barka of Sleepy Eye, and members Bill Drager of Mapleton, Todd Marotz of Sleepy Eye, Mike Mouw of Sioux Falls and Daryl Timmerman of North Mankato. Lori Stevermer of Easton and Terry Wolters of Pipestone also currently serve as Minnesota representatives on the National Pork Producers Council board of directors.

Appeal Begins Friday in North Carolina Nuisance Trials

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 03:38:58 GMT

It’s a big week for the North Carolina pork industry. On Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Va., will listen to the first case against Murphy-Brown, a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods, where jurors awarded 10 neighbors of a 15,000-head swine operation a total of $750,000 in compensation and $50 million in damages due to annoyances that they say interfered with enjoyment of their residences.

Over the past 18 months, a total of five nuisance trials have taken place in the second largest pig farming state in the country, resulting in five negative and wide-ranging verdicts, from hundreds of dollars to millions of dollars in jury awards for the plaintiffs.

“It’s been very trying,” says North Carolina Pork Council CEO Andy Curliss.

According to the NC Pork Council , the appeals court filings — and accompanying briefs filed by the NC Pork Council, NC Farm Bureau, and other agricultural groups — outline how the plaintiffs received unfair jury decisions by claiming that hog farms near their rural North Carolina homes are a nuisance.

“These errors took a costly toll. Deprived of the opportunity to resolve factual disputes, improperly exposed to prejudicial evidence, misled by one-sided expert testimony, and misinformed about the law, the jury awarded ten plaintiffs more than $50 million — all for the alleged annoyance and discomfort of living near a farm that opened nearly 25 years ago,” the court filing says.

The decisions that will be made by the Fourth Circuit could have long-reaching effects on pig farming, Curliss says.

For example, Joey Carter , a well-respected North Carolina hog farmer and leader, had hoped to leave his hog operation in Duplin County, N.C., to his sons, but because his farm was in two of the Smithfield lawsuits, he no longer has pigs because of the ongoing litigation.

Carter was the defendant in trial number two and trial number five. He has filed papers in the court about this first trial and will be in Richmond watching intently, Curliss says.

“The first trial is the one that’s being appealed, but the implications of what’s decided by the appeals court about that will flow through the entire cases,” Curliss says. “It will certainly be something that all the farmers in North Carolina will be watching very closely – how the Fourth Circuit listens to the case, discusses the case and then down the road, how it decides.”

North Carolina does not have any nuisance trials going on now as they await the appeals court to take a look at what happened in those cases. Curliss says the Fourth Circuit will make decisions about whether the trials were fair, whether the judge acted appropriately and whether the law was applied appropriately.

Audio of the oral arguments will be posted here .

Watch our interview with NC Pork’s CEO Andy Curliss above.

More from Farm Journal’s PORK:
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BREAKING: Jury Adds $50M Damages to Smithfield Nuisance Case
A Third Smithfield Lawsuit Verdict Creates Alarm Among Producers

Suit Wants Pork Settlement Money Kept for North Carolina Schools

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 03:30:28 GMT

The head of a conservative-leaning group says money paid annually by pork producers from a 2000 settlement with North Carolina must go to public schools rather than grants designed to improve the environment.

Francis DeLuca of the Civitas Institute sued Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper in Wake County court Tuesday. DeLuca wants a judge to force Cooper — also running for governor this fall — to stop the payments of up to $2 million and to recoup those funds back to 2014. The complaint cites a 2005 state Supreme Court decision in its arguments.

Cooper predecessor Mike Easley negotiated the agreement with Smithfield Foods and subsidiaries.

Cooper spokeswoman Noelle Talley says the lawsuit “gets the law wrong and the settlement wrong” and that the money goes directly to program recipients.

N.C. Bill Could Provide $25 Million to Help Livestock Supply Chain

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 05:19:54 GMT

A bipartisan bill is set for discussion on Tuesday in the North Carolina state legislature that would provide $25 million in federal CARES Act funding to increase production at smaller meat processors and help independent livestock producers.

House Bill 1201 , also known as the Local Meat Processors Grant Program, is scheduled to be heard for the first time at 3 p.m. Tuesday in the House Agriculture committee. The bill is co-sponsored by GOP Reps. Jeffery Elmore and Julia Howard.

According to the Winston-Salem Journal , the impetus behind the bill is that the COVID-19 pandemic has created serious and substantial impacts on the food supply chain and funding is “necessary in order to reduce disruptions in the supply chain for fresh meat, and to help small producers get their product to market.”

The $25 million would support facility expansion, fixtures, on-site job training or equipment that will expand animal throughput, processing capacity, the amount or type of products produced, or processing speed.

The bill states that grant eligibility will be limited to meat processing plants that contract with independent livestock producers to process animals owned by the producers and plants where the USDA contracts with the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services inspectors to conduct federal inspection activities authorized by the Talmadge-Aiken Act of 1962 (7 U.S.C. § 1633) at the plant, or the plant is a State-inspected facility.

If the bill passes, funds would be distributed by Oct. 1, 2020.

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NC Pig Farmers Take Extraordinary Steps to Ensure Animal Care

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 05:08:48 GMT

Five days after Hurricane Florence struck North Carolina, most of our 2,100 hog farms are returning to normal operations. For a small portion of farms, logistical challenges amid record levels of flooding continue as hog farmers and partner production companies are taking extraordinary steps to ensure animal care.

In many cases, this means farmers have remained at the barns for days without access to the outside world because they are remaining with their animals. In others, farmers are accessing the barns by boat and, in a few cases, farmers and employees have shuttled to barns by helicopter to reach the animals.

The size of the area impacted by the hurricane that involves our operations is across 14 counties, the total size of which is larger than the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island combined.

Feed:

Farm workers in Sampson County delivering feed (left) and hand feeding in Columbus County (below). Photos: North Carolina Pork Council

Most farms pre-stocked with feed ahead of the storm, but power outages and other failures have knocked some automatic feed systems off-line. This is a temporary setback and workers are delivering feed by the bucket or cartload.

In some cases, meals are being rationed to stretch the feed out. In some instances, feed bins were knocked over, which makes the feed unusable, so efforts are being made to deliver feed by whatever means necessary (tractor, helicopter, trucks, boats, etc.).

Tanker trucks are lined up to remove liquids from a lagoon in Sampson County. (Photo: North Carolina Pork Council)

Power

Each farm has backup generators that are tested weekly, but in some cases, they were overwhelmed by the storm. Generators are used to provide water, for automatic feed systems, and to provide automatic ventilation, which is crucial to maintaining comfortable temperatures. Companies are working overtime to restore power. We are grateful for the hard work being provided by local utility companies and many others from across the nation who are assisting to restore power as quickly as possible to our rural areas.

Lagoons

While it is clear that farmers properly managed lagoon levels in advance of the storm, a small percentage of lagoons have been impacted by the record-setting rainfalls. Farmers are in regular communication with the state Department of Environmental Quality and plans of action are being implemented in coordination with the regulatory agency. In some cases, lagoon levels are being lowered by transferring liquids off the farm in tanker trucks or by piping to other lagoons with ample capacity.

We are currently aware of the following impacts to lagoons:

As of this posting, State DEQ is reporting five sites with possible structural damages, three of which we believe to be breached. Two of the lagoons lost liquids and the solids remain. We do not have information about the third.
Twenty-one lagoons were inundated by flood waters.
Seventeen lagoons were at capacity due to rainfall and appear to have overtopped. Others are at capacity and efforts are being taken to respond within state regulations and guidance.

Most of the 2,100 farms with more than 3,300 anaerobic treatment lagoons in the state did not see these significant impacts from the storm. However, at this time, we still expect there could be additional impacts to be reported as conditions warrant.

While we are dismayed by the release of some liquids from some lagoons, we also understand that what has been released from the farms is the result of a once-in-a-lifetime storm and that the contents are highly diluted with rainwater. We believe that the result of this storm will be similar to what has occurred in previous events, including what the state Division of Water Resources found after Hurricane Matthew: “...the amount of water discharged into the river basins resulted in a diluting effect, which primarily resulted in lower than normal concentrations of various pollutants.” Link to the complete report.

The National Weather Service announced that it estimates more than 8 trillion gallons of water fell across North Carolina over a five-day period.

Dan Murphy: Requiem for Waste Lagoons?

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 05:07:48 GMT

Whenever a hurricane makes landfall, the news footage of flooded homes and businesses, of roads turned into rivers and of residents patrolling the streets in rafts and boats is heart-wrenching.

The people in those areas have had their lives and livelihoods uprooted, and it likely will takes years — if ever — to fully recover.

Across North Carolina, the center of Hurricane Florence’s impact, there is an additional layer of concern unique to that area: the flooding of manure lagoons operated by pork producers based in the state’s hardest-hit eastern counties.

As USA Today reported, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality initially announced that 21 lagoons had “overtopped.” Ultimately, it was calculated that as many as 89 lagoons across the state were at imminent risk of “releasing animal waste,” according to the most recent data issued by the state’s DEQ.

The problem of flooded lagoons is nothing new. In 1999, Hurricane Floyd flooded an estimated 50 waste lagoons statewide, with half a dozen suffering structural breaches, according to the North Carolina Pork Council; in 2016, Hurricane Matthew flooded “only 11 lagoons.”

Granted, there are thousands of manure lagoons across all of North Carolina, so it’s technically accurate to announce that only a very small number, relative to the total, were flooded and/or breached by the hurricane’s relentless rainfall.

But to suggest that, “We do not believe … that there are widespread impacts to the more than 2,000 anaerobic treatment lagoons in the state,” as the North Carolina Pork Council stated in a news release last week, is of little consolation to people in the immediate areas where manure has now surged into flooded rivers and streams.

Misleading Terminology
Even more troubling, as far as local residents are concerned, the Council then doubled down on its assertion that any environmental damage should be kept in perspective.

“While we are dismayed by the release of some liquids from some lagoons, we also understand that what has been released from the farms is the result of a once-in-a-lifetime storm and that the contents are highly diluted with rainwater,” the Council’s initial Sept. 19 online post stated.

Haven’t we learned by now that referring to hurricanes as “once in a lifetime storms,” or their impact as “100-year floods,” suggesting that such an occurrence will “never happen again” is, to be charitable, seriously inaccurate?

In addition, announcing that manure was “diluted with rainwater” isn’t exactly a comforting thought. Every time raw sewage overflows some city’s storm sewers and empties untreated into a local river or lake, it’s because of dilution with rainwater! However, that doesn’t change the fact that raw sewage and the bacteria that make it toxic have polluted local water sources.

The flooding in North Carolina and the subsequent release of millions of gallons of manure entering local waterways isn’t a case of arguing whether the lagoons are half full or half empty, so to speak, nor whether 80, 90 or 100 flooded lagoons out of several thousand statewide is a big deal or a little deal.

For affected residents, it’s huge deal; for the public at large, it’s an ecological black mark on the pork industry as a whole.

Time for Change
Granted, I’m no expert on how best to handle hog manure. I’m only asking the question: Is it time to acknowledge that there could be — ought to be — a better way?

Isn’t it past time for industry groups to stop insisting that people and policymakers must accept the fact that, on occasion, storms will overwhelm manure lagoons? That the toxic aftereffects of such breaches are merely the cost of doing business?

Throughout history, when man-made ecological impacts have overwhelmed natural systems, societies have leveraged science and technology to develop better, more efficient, more environmentally friendly systems to deal with the damage.

It’s hard to believe now, but for decades at the turn of the 20th century (and beyond), municipal wastewater “engineers” in Seattle set up a system that simply pumped raw sewage into the waters of Puget Sound on whose shores the city was developing. The idea was that if the discharge was done at high tide, it would be “washed out” to sea as the tide went out.

Of course, the next high tide washed much of that waste right back at the city, whose waterfront became notorious for its horrifying stench.

I’m not suggesting that properly managed lagoons are of piece with a sewer system so unsophisticated that the solution originally proposed for Seattle’s sewage problem was constructing a much longer discharge pipe.

But to suggest that giant lagoons swimming in manure represent the very best that 21st century science could possibly devise is akin to Seattle’s longer pipe proposal a century ago.

There has to be a better way, and the pork industry would be well-served to start researching alternatives before another “storm of the century” hits pork country.

Sometime in the next few years.

Editor’s Note: The opinions in this commentary are those of Dan Murphy, a veteran journalist and commentator.

New Algorithm Predicts PEDV Outbreaks in Swine

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 05:07:34 GMT

New research from North Carolina State Veterinary Medicine may help predict outbreaks of the deadly porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) that causes high mortality rates in preweaned piglets. Researchers created an algorithm that could give signal to pig farms when PEDV is expected to hit.

“Our end goal is to have near real-time risk predictions so that farmers and veterinarians can provide preventative care to high-risk areas and make decisions based on data,” says Gustavo Machado, assistant professor of population health and pathobiology at NC State.

The proof-of-concept algorithm has potential for use in real-time prediction of other disease outbreaks in food animals, researchers say.
Machado, corresponding author of a paper describing the work, developed a pipeline utilizing machine-learning techniques to create an algorithm capable of predicting PEDV outbreaks in space and time.

Machado, with colleagues from the University of Minnesota and Brazil’s Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, used weekly farm-level incidence data from sow farms to design the model. They incorporated pig movement types, hog density, and environmental and weather factors such as vegetation, wind speed, temperature and precipitation.

The researchers looked at “neighborhoods” that were defined as a 10-km radius around sow farms. After feeding the model information about outbreaks, animal movements into each neighborhood and the environmental characteristics inside each neighborhood, the model could predict PEDV outbreaks with approximately 80% accuracy.

When predicting PEDV spread, the most important risk factor was pig movement into and through the 10-km neighborhood, although researchers pointed out that neighborhood environment – including slope and vegetation – also influenced risk.

“This proof-of-concept model identified the PEDV spread bottleneck in North Carolina and allowed us to rank infection risk factors in order of importance,” Machado says. “As we get more data from other farm sites across the U.S., we expect the model’s accuracy to increase.”

Researchers plan to continue improving the model to predict a wider range of diseases and expanding it to include other industries. The work appears in Scientific Reports , and is supported by the National Pork Board and the Swine Health Information Center.

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N.C. Delays New Swine Industry Water Regs

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 04:55:22 GMT

North Carolina’s new water quality requirements for large hog farms will not take effect this year as intended under the state Senate’s proposed budget plan.

Every five years, the state Department of Environmental Quality revised permit requirements for hog farms with more than 250 animals that use pits and spray fields to dispose of hog waste. These changes were set to begin Oct. 1, 2019, and have been delayed one year.

Senate budget writers say the delay is needed because of the extensive changes they would make in governing a major industry.

The budget provision calls for studying the permit process, and whether the permits should take the track used to make new state rules, which involves approval by the Rules Review Commission, reports the NC News & Observer.

It’s appropriate to do a “thoughtful review” of the regulations and see if they meet the Administrative Procedure Act, said Sen. Andy Wells, a Catawba County Republican and one of the leaders of the Senate agriculture, natural and economic resources budget subcommittee. “This is an opportunity to do that,” he said.

The state Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) held hearings, gathered public input and published a set of draft regulations before releasing the final versions in April. The agency also issued revised permit guidelines for cattle and poultry farms.

The hog permit changes have brought additional attention because of federal nuisance lawsuits that North Carolina residents have brought against Smithfield subsidiary, Murphy-Brown.

The North Carolina Farm Bureau appealed the new permit guidelines in state administrative court in May. The legal complaint said the swine permit violated the Administrative Procedure Act because it incorporated terms that were part of DEQ’s settlement with the N.C. Environmental Justice Network, Rural Empowerment Association for Community Help and Waterkeeper Alliance.

Erin Carey of the NC Sierra Club said the delay would postpone needed groundwater monitoring and interfere with an ongoing lawsuit. Other environmentalists say the changes don’t go far enough.

North Carolina

From Subsistence Farming in Namibia to Modern Pig Farming in North Carolina

North Carolina Appeals Court Upholds Waste-to-Energy Plans on Hog Farms

NC Attorney General Urges SCOTUS to Take Up Ag-Gag Law

State Associations Elect Board Members and Honor Leaders of Swine Industry

Appeal Begins Friday in North Carolina Nuisance Trials

Suit Wants Pork Settlement Money Kept for North Carolina Schools

N.C. Bill Could Provide $25 Million to Help Livestock Supply Chain

NC Pig Farmers Take Extraordinary Steps to Ensure Animal Care

Feed:

Power

Lagoons

Dan Murphy: Requiem for Waste Lagoons?

New Algorithm Predicts PEDV Outbreaks in Swine

N.C. Delays New Swine Industry Water Regs

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Pig Farmer Joey Carter was Blindsided - It Could Happen to You

Could the Nuisance Cases in North Carolina Happen in My State?

A Third Smithfield Lawsuit Verdict Creates Alarm Among Producers

Another Smithfield Hog Farm Found Guilty by Jury

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Jury Selection Begins for Second Nuisance Case Against Smithfield

Judge Reduces Damages in Murphy-Brown Hog Odor Case

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