Frequently asked questions
Table of Contents
REGULATIONS + PERMITTING
Do pig farms need a permit to operate?
North Carolina farms with more than 250 pigs must obtain a permit from the NC Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). A farm may be covered under either an individual permit which is tailored specifically for the individual farm or under a General Permit which includes conditions which apply to every farm covered under the General Permit. These permits include the nation’s most stringent restrictions on pig farms, including annual, in person inspections of every farm and strict requirements about how manure is managed. These are non-discharge permits, meaning that farms may not discharge any waste into rivers or streams.
How often do pig farms need to renew their permit?
The NC Department of Environmental Quality typically revises the General Swine Permit every five years, and all permitted pig farms must apply for coverage. The last General Swine Permit was issued in 2019. After it was issued, the permit was challenged in court by the NC Farm Bureau and others. That permit remains the subject of litigation. The 2019 permit remains in effect until September 30, 2026 or until replaced by DEQ.
How often are NC pig farms inspected?
Unlike most states, North Carolina conducts a surprise, in person inspection of every permitted pig farm in North Carolina each year. This includes a comprehensive review of the detailed records that farm owners are required to maintain. These inspections ensure that NC pig farms are operating responsibly and following the state’s strict regulations.
Does NC have a moratorium on new pig farms?
Yes, North Carolina implemented a moratorium on the construction of new pig farms in 1997. The NC General Assembly made the moratorium permanent in 2007. As a result, no new pig farms have been built in North Carolina for more than 25 years. The size of the North Carolina pork industry has remained relatively consistent, declining slightly since the moratorium took effect.
MANURE MANAGEMENT | tHE LAGOON & SPRAYFIELD SYSTEM
How do pig farms manage manure?
Most North Carolina pig farms rely on a “lagoon and sprayfield” system to manage manure. Manure is mixed with water, treated, and stored in a lagoon, then applied to surrounding fields to fertilize crops being grown on the farm. This system remains the most effective and sustainable method for operating pig farms in North Carolina.
Pig farms are not the only ones who use this type of treatment system. Many municipalities and universities rely on the same method of wastewater treatment.
Who developed the lagoon and sprayfield system?
NC State University was instrumental in the development and adoption of the anaerobic lagoon treatment and land application system used by most North Carolina pig farms.
What regulations govern the use of lagoons and sprayfields?
North Carolina has some of the toughest pig farm regulations in the nation. These regulations dictate the construction of lagoons, require the development of customized waste management plans, and mandate rules around the application of fertilizer, among other issues.
— Lagoons must be engineered and built to meet specific requirements dictated by the State of North Carolina.
— Farmers must develop detailed waste management plans that involve testing the soil and developing a custom nutrient management plan that calculates when, where, and for how long they can apply fertilizer.
— Farmers must keep detailed records that show exactly when they spray, to which fields, for how long. They must also record the weather conditions — it cannot be raining, the land must be dry, and it cannot be too windy outside.
Are there mandatory buffers between sprayfields and neighbors?
When applying fertilizer to sprayfields, farmers must follow buffer requirements that protect streams and rivers, nearby neighbors, and monitoring wells.
Can lagoons withstand hurricanes or heavy rains without flooding?
The lagoon system is built to operate effectively during significant rainfall events. Lagoons must maintain a buffer of at least 19” between the top of the lagoon and the liquid storage. This space — called a freeboard — is designed to prevent the lagoon from overflowing. Lagoons are equipped to handle 24 hours of rain during a 25-year storm — the largest storm that can be expected during a 25-year period based on historical records.
What is a lagoon doesn’t maintain minimum storage requirements?
If the freeboard level falls below 19 inches, farms are required to immediately notify the NC Division of Water Quality and submit an action plan to return to normal levels within 30 days. If the freeboard level falls below 12”, the farm must notify state officials again and address the issue within five days or remove animals from the farm.
More Resources: Understanding Pig Lagoons: Everything you need to know
tHE LOCATION OF NC PIG FARMS | IMPACT ON MINORITY COMMUNITIES
Why are pig farms predominately located in eastern North Carolina?
There are a variety of reasons for the location of pig farms. These include:
— A Shift From Tobacco: The pork industry grew significantly in the late 1980s and early 1990s at a time when tobacco farmers were encouraged to diversify their farms. Tobacco farms were predominately located in the eastern part of the state.
— Close to Pork Processing Plants: Smithfield Foods received approval to build a large processing plant in Tar Heel, NC in 1989. Three additional plants — located in Sampson, Lenoir and Wilson counties — have been operating in eastern North Carolina for decades. It’s beneficial for farms to be located near processing plants.
— Close to Corn and Soybeans: Pig farms need an abundant supply of affordable feed nearby. Eastern North Carolina has an ample supply of corn and soybeans, and there are several major feed mills located in this part of the state.
Are pig farms disproportionately located in minority communities?
Independent data confirms that North Carolina pig farms are not disproportionately located in minority communities. In 2017, the NC Pork Council hired an independent firm, Resolution Economics in Washington DC, to conduct a detailed demographic analysis around NC pig farms. The study, using 2010 Census data, showed:
— Demographics around NC pig farms are more than 2-to-1 white to African American, no matter what distance from the farm is measured.
— 68% of NC pig farms are located in areas where African American residents make up 30% or fewer of the population.
— Only 13.5% of pig farms are located in communities where a majority of residents are African American.
— A total of 5.1 percent of pig farms are located in communities where 70 percent or more residents are African American.
— When comparing the 10 North Carolina counties that account for 80% of pig production to the 20 counties with the largest percentage of African Americans, the overlap contains only one county — Lenoir. See graphic below:
A civil rights complaint against the State of North Carolina was settled in 2018 with no finding of discrimination with regard to the permitting of pig farms
More Resources: The Truth of the Matter: The real story behind a complaint against the NC pork industry.
iMPACTS ON NEIGHBORS—qUALITY OF LIFE | AIR POLLUTION| ODOR
Response to concerns that pig farms negatively impact quality of life:
The NC Pork Council conducted a series of public opinion polls in major pig producing counties — including Duplin, Sampson, Bladen, Wayne and Onslow counties — from 2021 to 2023. In each case, residents were asked a series of questions about their quality of life, their enjoyment of the outdoors, and the impact of pig farming on their community. The results were overwhelmingly positive:
Duplin and Sampson poll (2021)
89% rate their community as a good, very good or great place to live.
69% said the impact of pig farms is positive; 20% negative
54% reported living within two miles of a pig farm. Of those, 84% said they had never experienced any issues with the farm nearest their house.
Wayne and Bladen poll (2023)
93% rate their community as a good, very good or great place to live.
76% said the impact of pig farms is positive; 16% negative
27% reported living within two miles of a pig farm. Of those, 65% said they had never experienced any issues with the farm nearest their house.
Onslow poll (2023)
95% rate their community as a good, very good or great place to live.
75% said the impact of pig farms is positive; 16% negative
11% reported living within two miles of a pig farm. Of those, 75% said they had never experienced any issues with the farm nearest their house.
Response to concerns about air pollution:
The NC Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) collected 15 months of air quality data in Duplin County, the nation’s largest pig producing county. This data was collected between June 2018 and October 2019.
After taking measurements of hydrogen sulfide, ammonia and particulate matter, the Division of Air Quality concluded that the results “do not constitute a significant air quality issue in the study area.” The department determined that no additional testing is needed.
You can read the final report, issued in May 2020, here.
Response to concerns about odor:
In 2012, a UNC professor and environmental justice advocate named Steve Wing conducted a study to collect subjective odor data. He asked a group of 101 volunteers, recruited by an activist group opposed to pig farming, to measure the odor outside their homes twice a day for two weeks. (To be clear, we do not believe this is a valid way to conduct a study.)
The participants, each of whom lived within a mile and a half of a pig farm, were told to rate odor on a scale from 0 (no odor) to 8 (very strong). Here is what they reported:
— No odor (0): 40.6%
— Very faint (>0 to <2): 39.9%
— Faint/moderate (>2 to <5): 17.2%
— Strong/very strong (5 to 8): 2.3%
More than 80% of the time, participants said there was no odor or the odor was very faint. The odor was rated as strong to very strong only 2.3% of the time.
“Upon stepping out of a vehicle, the first thing one might notice is the absence of something — an aroma. There was no odor. Of any kind. None.”
— Bladen Journal reporter Chrysta Carroll, describing her visit to a pig farm
More Resources: Claims on air, odor don’t pass the smell test
rENEWABLE nATURAL GAS (RNG)
What is renewable natural gas?
Renewable natural gas — also referred to as RNG or biogas — involves capturing methane gases from farms and converting it into renewable energy. North Carolina is a national leader in generating renewable natural gas on pig farms.
What is the state of renewable natural gas projects in North Carolina?
Some of the most notable RNG projects in North Carolina include:
— Optima KV (Duplin County): When it started production in 2018, this was the first project in North Carolina to inject RNG from pig farms in Kenansville into the natural gas pipeline system. Biogas from five pig farms is supplied to Duke Energy.
— Align RNG (Duplin and Sampson counties): The Grady Road project in Duplin and Sampson counties involves 19 family farms that produce enough clean energy to power 4,000 homes. A second project, the Bowdens Project in Duplin County, will produce RNG from a network of 35 farms and produce enough clean energy to power 3,200 homes. It has an estimated completion data of Q4 2026. Align RNG is a joint venture of Smithfield and Dominion Energy.
How do RNG projects work?
When animal manure breaks down, it naturally produces methane gas. By capturing this methane and converting it into clean energy, RNG significantly reduces emissions from our farms.
Generating renewable natural gas involves a three-step process.
An anerobic digester, typically an air-tight lagoon cover, captures methane gases and prevents them from escaping.
The biogas is sent to a conditioning facility where it is refined to 99% pure methane, the same as traditional natural gas.
RNG is injected into an existing distribution system, delivering renewable energy to local homes and businesses.
Do farms need a permit to generate renewable natural gas?
Yes. Pig farms in North Carolina that want to generate renewable natural gas must apply for a permit from the NC Department of Environmental Quality.
What benefits do RNG projects offer to the community?
RNF projects offer a long list of proven, tangible benefits — including a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and covered lagoons that minimize odors and reduce the potential for flooding.
The EPA’s AgSTAR program touts the benefits of digester systems that enable farmers to capture methane gases, and North Carolina’s Clean Energy Plan highlights the state’s potential to produce biogas (NC ranks third in the nation for biogas potential).
What benefits do RNG projects offer to farmers?
Developing renewable natural gas is one more way that North Carolina pig farmers can leverage new technologies and promote environmental sustainability — by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, minimizing odor and preventing flooding during hurricanes or other major rain events.
In addition, farmers who invest in the infrastructure needed to generate renewable natural gas on their farms can share in the steady, long-term revenue that RNG projects can produce.
Why are some environmental groups opposed to RNG projects?
It’s hard for us to understand why RNG projects continue to face criticism in some circles. Some groups appear to simply oppose any actions taken by North Carolina pig farmers — even when they offer clear benefits to the environment and those who live nearby.
The most frequent and vocal critics of renewable natural gas projects on are those who highlight concerns that have nothing whatsoever to do with the projects themselves. Instead, they oppose biogas efforts because they fear it will “entrench” the existing lagoon and sprayfield system used by most pig farms in North Carolina.
As the Fayetteville Observer reported, “a large concern among environmental activists about the general permit for biogas and animal waste projects is that it will not remove the current lagoon and sprayfield system.”
That misguided attitude represents a false choice — and overlooks the positive improvements that biogas projects bring to the community. The development of these projects is not a choice between generating renewable natural gas or replacing the lagoon and sprayfield system with alternative systems.
In an OpEd article published by the Fayetteville Observer in May 2021, NC Pork Council CEO Roy Lee Lindsey described opposition to RNG projects as a short-sighted strategy that diminishes the pursuit of incremental improvements.
“Mark Twain told us, ‘Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.’ Our pig farmers are committed to continuous improvement. Opposing innovation, whether small steps or giant leaps forward, only prevents further advancement… It’s a shame that critics of pig farming continue to oppose incremental improvements that benefit our environment.”
The truth of the matter is that North Carolina pig farms are here to stay, and renewable natural gas projects will deliver valuable benefits to local communities.
What does the public think about RNG projects?
Multiple surveys show that North Carolina residents are overwhelmingly supportive of renewable natural gas.
When the NC Chamber of Commerce conducted a statewide poll on a variety of issues in January 2021, 74% of voters said North Carolina should do more to encourage the development of renewable and alternative energy sources. When asked specifically for their thoughts about how “some North Carolina pig farms are turning animal manure into renewable natural gas,” 67% said it enhanced their opinion of the industry. Only 10% said it diminished their view of pig farms.
A more recent survey of Duplin and Sampson County residents, conducted in October 2021, found similar support for renewable natural gas on pig farms. Overall, residents support the development of these projects by a margin of 6-to-1. That type of widespread support is consistent across all demographics in these communities.
Are RNG projects safe?
Yes. Methane gases are not combustible, pipelines are constructed with no joints where leaks might occur, and pipelines are operated at very low pressure to mitigate risks.
More Resources: Claims against RNG projects are full of contradictions
hEALTH cLAIMS
We believe that when our opponents make claims that seek to establish links between health issues and pig farms, it’s critically important to examine the data and the methodologies used in these studies.
Causation does not equal correlation:
Anyone who has ever taken a statistics class has heard the phrase “correlation does not imply causation.” The concept: just because two things are true doesn’t mean they are related.
Take, for instance, the correlation between (a) per capita cheese consumption and (b) the number of people who died by becoming tangled in their bedsheets. As the chart below shows, the amount of cheese we eat directly correlates with the number of people die tangled in their bedsheets — even though we all know that one does not cause the other.
This isn’t the first time we’ve encountered serious flaws with studies about our industry, including misleading claims that our farms are disproportionately located in minority communities or that pig farms are responsible for a variety of health concerns, including higher rates of asthma and higher mortality rates.
Mortality study:
A mortality study, published in the North Carolina Medical Journal in 2018, is often quoted by those who oppose pig farming. (For context, it’s important to understand that this particular study was funded by Fred Stanback, an environmental philanthropist and avowed opponent of North Carolina’s pork industry.)
It’s also important to recognize that the study’s authors acknowledge an important point — the study does not establish causation. That is, they are presenting data about health claims with no evidence to tie those claims back to pig farms. The study’s conclusion states:
Although not establishing causality with exposures from hog CAFOs, our findings support the need for future studies to determine factors that influence these outcomes, as well as the need to improve screening and diagnostic strategies for these diseases in North Carolina communities adjacent to hog CAFOs.
The authors also acknowledge that they didn’t actually study the communities around permitted swine operations. What they did examine was mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control, for a seven-year period, at the ZIP code level in North Carolina, then cross-reference that data with permitted swine operations.
Dr. Andres Perez, a veterinary epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota who has reviewed the study, concluded that it suffers from limitations in design and that it represents an "ecological fallacy." The choice to analyze data at a ZIP code level, in particular, creates arbitrary boundaries that limit the study’s effectiveness.
In addition, the study relies on a crucial choice that a ZIP code with a "high density" of pigs is one with greater than 215 animals per square kilometer. A square kilometer is equal to 247 acres of land, thus making the study one that focused on ZIP codes that have from one to perhaps six pigs per acre compared with those ZIP codes with fewer.
Perez’s review found: "It is not possible to demonstrate that hog operations cause any of the adverse health outcomes described in the manuscript. This limitation is acknowledged by the authors…a few times in the manuscript, although the conclusions and title, erroneously, seem to imply something different."
"I have observed no indication that living near a hog farm causes any increased risk of infection by antibiotic-resistant or any other bacteria…The real health threats needing attention in eastern North Carolina are diet and lifestyle… not hog farms."
— Dr. Keith Ramsey, the medical director of infectious disease control at Pitt County Memorial Hospital and former chairman of the Pitt County Board of Health. Dr. Ramsey has conducted numerous clinical and research studies involving residents across eastern North Carolina. He studied health outcomes and specifically looked at possible association with bacterial resistance associated with swine operations.
More Resources: Health claims against hog farms don’t add up
PIG FARMS & HURRICANES
How do pig farmers prepare for hurricanes?
North Carolina farmers face the threat of hurricanes nearly every year and have learned to prepare well in advance of hurricane season. Long before any storm points toward the state, farmers manage their lagoons to maintain adequate storage capacity in the event of a direct strike. When storms approach, generators and feed are positioned on farms and at key locations across the major pig-producing counties. Depending on the forecasted track, animals may be moved to higher ground or to markets early, ensuring safety.
Years of experience have led to extensive planning and preparation for the strong winds, power outages, disruptions to road networks, flooding and more. This is an important and necessary step that helps ensure continuity of a significant part of the nation’s pork supply.
How have NC pig farms hold up during recent hurricanes?
In the past five years, hurricanes have not resulted in any significant impacts on North Carolina pig farms. This includes Hurricanes Dorian (2019), Isaias (2020, Ian (2022), and Debby (2024).
During Hurricane Matthew (2016) and Hurricane Florence (2018), our pig farms successfully withstood two of the most punishing storms to ever hit eastern North Carolina. Less than two percent of pig 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.
How did NC pig farms perform during Hurricane Florence (2018)?
The extensive damage caused by Hurricane Florence is well documented. Eight trillion gallons of rainwater fell on North Carolina over a three-day span. Rivers swelled to record heights, and entire communities were inundated by flood waters. The total damage: $17 billion and 48 deaths. It was one of the deadliest hurricanes in North Carolina history.
No one in eastern North Carolina was spared, including the agriculture community. The damage was profound, with more than $1 billion in reported crop losses. But the widespread devastation predicted by activist groups never materialized as it relates to pig farms. The anaerobic lagoons — 98% of them performed exactly as intended, suffering little or no damage.
That’s not to say there were no impacts at all involving the state’s 3,300 lagoons. Six farms experienced some form of structural damage to a containment wall in their lagoons, ranging from a full breach that released liquid contents in two cases to other instances of a “cracking” in the dike wall or less significant impacts. In addition, 28 farms had lagoons that filled up with the rainwater to the point that some liquid overflowed, and eight farms saw lagoons inundated by floodwaters, which means the flooding came up to, and spilled over into, the lagoon.
In each of these cases, it was primarily rainwater mixed with watered-down liquid waste that escaped the lagoons, with post-storm inspections showing that solids remained in the lagoons.
In a briefing to state lawmakers, the director of the NC Division of Water Resources emphasized that impacts from lagoons were minimal, characterizing discharges as consisting of mostly water from the storm while also emphasizing the enormous amount of rainwater that fell.
“I am not sure why there is so much focus (on animal facilities),” division director Jim Gregson told lawmakers in a November 2018 briefing. “Looks bad, but primarily what you’re seeing on inundated farms is storm water.”
This is why, in the aftermath of Florence, DEQ Secretary Michael Regan said: “We are really focused on our (municipal) wastewater treatment facilities because there are probably orders of magnitude more human waste that has escaped these wastewater treatment facilities than what has escaped these pig lagoons.”
What steps are pig farms taking to minimize the potential for flooding?
The pork industry has worked closely with the state to reduce the number of farms located in flood-prone areas. A total of 334 lagoons have been voluntarily closed since 2000. The NC Swine Floodplain Buyout Program led to the permanent closure of 43 farms and 103 lagoons located in flood-prone areas, with additional funds set aside to expand the program. In addition, the NC Foundation for Soil and Water Conservation closed an additional 231 out-of-service lagoons through a separate grant program.
Does the NC Pork Council support efforts to close pig farms in flood plains?
We support the voluntarily closure of pig farms through the NC Swine Floodplain Buyout Program and have advocated for additional funding to continue this program.
What poses a greater threat to water quality — pig farms or municipal wastewater treatment facilities?
Municipal waste plants often discharge raw human sewage directly into the waters of the state, in both periodic rain events and more significant storms. It happens year-round in all parts of the state. These circumstances are the result of what are called “sanitary sewer overflows” and/or direct bypasses of the treatment system itself.
In a hurricane with significant rainfall, it is almost a certainty that there will be a discharge from some municipal waste systems. The NC Department of Environmental Quality reported that more than 200 municipal wastewater treatment plants spilled approximately 121 million gallons of sewage into our state’s waterways during Hurricane Florence.
When Hurricane Dorian hit the state in 2019, municipal systems reported discharging 1.5 million gallons of raw human waste in sewer overflows over a five-day period. Pig farms saw negligible impacts from the storm.
It is not a certainty that a pig farm lagoon will release any contents from treatment lagoons into the waters of the state during a hurricane. By design and by law, farmers must maintain a “freeboard” of roughly 19 inches, precisely to protect the structural integrity of the lagoon and to absorb significant rain events. In practice, lagoons are managed more conservatively.
If a hurricane is so severe that it is causing impacts to multiple pig farm lagoons, public officials and authorities understand that many municipal plants, affecting large populations of people, would in those circumstances also be experiencing more difficulty in containing and treating human waste.
“We are really focused on our (municipal) wastewater treatment facilities because there are probably orders of magnitude more human waste that has escaped these wastewater treatment facilities than what has escaped these pig lagoons.”
— Michael Regan, Former Secretary, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Former Secretary, NC Department of Environmental Quality, following Hurricane Florence
More Resources: Warnings about pig farms before hurricanes are often off the mark
EXPORTS
Why are exports important to the pork industry?
International trade is essential to North Carolina pork producers and the rural communities where we live and work. We have long fought for free and fair trade, knowing that America’s pork producers can provide a high-quality, safe, affordable protein that is in high demand around the world.
How much pork does the United States export?
In 2024, the United States exported more than 3 million metric tons of pork valued at $8.63 billion. That represents a four percent increase in volume of product and a six percent increase in revenue.
Approximately 25 percent of the pork produced in North Carolina is exported.
Which countries import the most U.S. pork?
Mexico is the largest importer of U.S. pork. In 2024, Mexico accounted for more than 35% of all U.S. pork exports. It purchased 1.15 million metric tons of pork valued at $2.58 billion.
Other major importers of U.S. pork include Japan ($1.38 billion), China/Hong Kong ($1.14 billion), Canada ($852 million) and Korea ($727 million). See more data.
How much U.S. pork does China import?
China imported 467 metric tons of pork in 2024. Variety meats — products like pig feet, tongues, intestines, hearts and livers — accounted for more than 68% of that total. These are products that are not typically consumed in the United States. China accounts for more half of all pork variety meat imports from the U.S.
Does China have undue influence over the U.S. pork industry?
No. While Smithfield Foods has been a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based WH Group since 2013, the company operates autonomously within the United States and is now publicly traded on Nasdaq’s Global Select Market.
Smithfield’s headquarters remain in Smithfield, Virginia, and it employs approximately 34,000 people in the United States — including approximately 10,000 people in North Carolina. Smithfield’s management team is led by CEO Shane Smith, a North Carolina native and graduate of Mount Olive College.
A note about tariffs and trade issues:
The pork industry’s ability to trade freely is critical and vital. We continue to engage with government officials to emphasize the critical importance of international trade. More than 25 percent of America’s pork production is exported to high-value markets across the globe.
We are vigorously opposed to retaliatory tariffs on American products, including those affecting our pork producers. Retaliatory actions against food, and pork, are the wrong approach to resolving trade disputes.