Attacks on hog farms are misinformed, misleading

Jacksonville Daily News | Letter to the Editor

October 14, 2023

To the Editor: 

Misguided, misinformed, and purposefully misleading. That’s the only way to characterize a recent attack on hog farms (Rick Dove OpEd, Oct. 5, 2023).

The facts tell a completely different story about how improvements are preventing flooding on our farms during even the most severe storms. During Hurricanes Matthew (2016) and Florence (2018), hog farms successfully withstood two of the most punishing storms to ever hit eastern North Carolina. Less than two percent of hog lagoons suffered damage from these hurricanes — only a small number of lagoons were inundated with floodwaters that devastated entire communities, and even fewer farms experienced structural damage. In the five years since Florence, hurricanes have not caused any notable damage to NC hog farms.

The Waterkeeper official responsible for attacking our farmers ignores these facts and claims that “very little” is being done to address potential problems from hurricanes. That’s not true, either.

Significant changes have taken place in the past 25 years, including the permanent closing of 334 hog lagoons located in flood-prone areas and a moratorium on the construction of new farms. More recently, a growing number of farms have begun installing covers over their lagoons, an advancement that reduces greenhouse gas emissions, minimizes odors, and prevents flooding during hurricanes. 

Another false claim — that pollution from farms causes long-term damage to our state’s rivers — is directly refuted by state reports. Following Hurricane Matthew, the NC Division of Water Resources monitored waterways across eastern North Carolina and concluded that the impact on water quality was “minimal and temporary,” with “lower than normal concentrations of various pollutants.”

A more significant water quality threat from hurricanes comes from municipal wastewater treatment plants that often discharge raw human sewage directly into the waters of the state. During Hurricane Florence, more than 120 million gallons of municipal waste was discharged into the state waters from 200 municipal systems.

The Waterkeepers know these facts but continue to purposefully spread misinformation and stoke unfounded fears about North Carolina hog farmers. 

Sincerely,

Roy Lee Lindsey

CEO, NC Pork Council