Hogs: The real problem

Factory Hog Farms, who hasn't heard about them? And who doesn't know about the problems associated with them: polluted waters, foul air, and a corporate killing machine?

One problem that doesn't get into the news as much though is that of the personal stories of individuals living next to the hog factories. Specifically the extent to which health and day-to-day life is affected by nearby open lagoons and factory farms.

On Tuesday, citizens from across eastern NC (pdf) came up to Raleigh to talk to their legislators about their stories: how they can't walk outside without the odor from hog lagoons hitting them and forcing them to run from the car to their house; how they can't enjoy a glass of sweet tea on their front porch; how they can't open the windows in their non-air conditioned houses in the summer; and how children attending schools near hog factory farms (pdf) are facing increased rates of asthma.

While in Raleigh, these citizens along with the NC Environmental Justice Network (NCEJN), Environmental Defense, Neuse River Foundation and other organizations asked legislators to support the following points:

1) a permanent ban on lagoons and sprayfields;

2) an incentive based program that will implement cleaner technologies on farms; and

3) a community well water mitigation program for citizens who live in close proximity to farms and can no longer drink their well water.

These individuals and organizations said on Tuesday that a moratorium is not enough. That in order to make real progress on this issue (pdf) legislators need to take action on the above points. As Gary Grant, NCEJN, noted "the only way to help restore the health of the people and communities, and the environment is to ban this type of waste disposal permanently."