Make your voice heard: Comment on the new state permit for NC hog farms

North Carolina hog farms operate under some of the most stringent regulations in the nation. Every hog farm in the state that raises more than 250 pigs a year must receive a general permit issued by the NC Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and adhere to the permit conditions.

Every five years, DEQ reviews the permit and can change the permit conditions. The 2024 general permit is currently under development, as well as a new permit for farms that use digesters to generate renewable natural gas. The drafts of the swine general permit and digester general permit were released in late July, and the state is accepting public comments via email until Friday, November 3. In addition, the state will gather feedback at four public hearings, including one at James Sprunt Community College in Kenansville on Thursday, October 5 (6:00 pm) and one at Wayne Community College in Goldsboro on Tuesday, October 10 (6:00 pm).

We know that state regulators will hear repeatedly from the activists who want to make it more difficult for our family farmers to raise pigs, poultry and cattle. These groups will continue to push for burdensome and unnecessary regulations that help further their agenda.

If you support North Carolina agriculture, it is critical that we make our voice heard and speak out against adding new regulations to the swine general permit and digester general permit. Here are three things you can do to help:  

1. Plan to attend the public hearings in Kenansville (Oct. 5) or Goldsboro (Oct. 10). There is also a virtual, online meeting planned for Thursday, October 26. You can sign up here to speak at the virtual meeting.

2. Send an email to DEQ with written comments about the permit. Click here to add your name to a pre-drafted letter or send comments directly to DEQ at publiccommentsDWR@deq.nc.gov.

3. Share this post and encourage friends and families to provide comments.

This is an important opportunity to have a say in what regulations our hog farms must follow until 2029. The new permit will take effect on October 1, 2024.

 Learn more:

• What is the general permit and why is it important?

• DEQ website: 2024 Animal Feeding Operations General Permits (public hearing schedule, draft permits, etc.)

General Permit 101 | What is the general permit and why is it important?

The NC Department of Environmental Quality will soon issue a new draft Swine Waste Management System General Permit. This permit regulates how hog farms in North Carolina are allowed to operate.

 With the upcoming release of the draft permit, here are some important facts about the permit:

• Who needs a permit?

  A General Permit is required for all North Carolina farmers who raise more than 250 pigs a year and aren’t already covered under a federal water quality permit. There are currently more than 2,000 permitted hog farms across North Carolina.
  Description text goes here

• How often do you need to renew your permit?

  Farmers need to obtain a new permit every five years. Hog farmers will need to apply for a new permit in 2024.

• What does the permit require hog farmers to do?

  The General Permit includes several provisions designed to protect public health and the environment. Among the provisions:
  — Farms must be personally inspected each year by state officials.
  — Farms may not discharge any waste into local streams or rivers.
  — Lagoons are required to maintain enough available storage space to withstand severe floods. This includes adequate storage for a 25-year, 24-hour storm event, plus one additional foot of structural freeboard.
  — Farms must develop a detailed waste management plan and keep comprehensive records every time manure is applied to fields. Allowable levels of land application are based on a detailed analysis of the farm’s soil and the nutrients in the lagoon.
  — Waste must be managed in a way that protects public health and the environment. The permit includes extensive regulations regarding lagoon design, construction and operation; land application of manure; mandatory setbacks from neighbors and waterways; and more.
  — Each farm must have a designated “Operator in Charge” responsible for waste management. This individual must take a class, pass a test, and receive continuing education to maintain the license.
  

• How does the state decide what to put in the permit?

  The Department of Environmental Quality has been holding stakeholder meetings across the state with a variety of interested groups, including major integrators, the NC Pork Council, NC Farm Bureau, and NC Farm Families, as well as groups that are opposed to our industry, including Riverkeepers, SELC, REACH, and other activist groups that want to make it more difficult for us to raise animals. These stakeholders provide suggestions and feedback on what changes, in any, should be included in a new permit. DEQ will also consider public comments provided in response to the draft permit.

• What changes might be included in a new permit?

  The 2019 General Permit included three new provisions that are currently being challenged in court. The requirements:
  — Farms must electronically file an annual report each year detailing its management
  — Farms located in the 100-year floodplain must conduct groundwater monitoring
  — Farms must conduct tests using the NC Phosphorus Loss Assessment Tool (PLAT)
  
  The NC Farm Bureau and others appealed these provisions in the 2019 permit, claiming that adding new conditions like this must go through the rulemaking process with the NC Environmental Management Commission. Although the case remains unresolved in the courts, it is likely that DEQ will once again include these provisions in the General Permit.
  

• When will the new permit take effect?

  The new permit takes effect on October 1, 2024.

• How do North Carolina’s permits compare with other states?

  North Carolina has the most stringent regulations in the nation for hog farms. The Department of Environmental Quality agrees, stating on its website that “North Carolina has the strongest permit program for concentrated animal feeding operations in the country and is one of the only states that requires annual inspections of every facility.”

• When was the general permit last updated?

  The State of North Carolina is required to issue a General Permit every five years. The last permit was issued in 2019. Read the 2019 General Permit.

• When was the General Permit first established?

  The State of North Carolina has regulated animal operations, including swine, since 1992.

The 2024 draft permit is expected to be released in early August. Public comments will be accepted for 90 days after the draft permit is issued and a series of public hearings will be scheduled. We’ll discuss the public hearing process and the importance of making your voice heard in future communications.

Consider Attending the Swine Waste Management Permit Meeting

The Swine Waste Management General Permit meeting is in a few days. This impacts nearly every hog farm in North Carolina. We encourage you to attend this meeting, even if you don't have a comment. Please consider attending to show support for the interest of our farmers and to stay up to date on current events.

Swine Waste Management Permit Meeting

The current Swine Waste Management General State Permit expires September 30, 2019. A meeting will be held to gain public input on the state’s draft general permit (AWG100000). Feedback obtained during the meeting will help DEQ to prepare a final draft permit that will be published publicly for review early next year. To view changes in the permit (marked in red), click here: REDLINE-DRAFT-Swine-General-Permit-11132018

Commenting

Those in attendance may make written or oral comments during the meeting. To make a public oral comment to the group at the meeting, you must register as a speaker by 5:30pm. You can also make written comments. Those written comments should provide a reference to the specific section of the permit and focus on the draft permit.

Details

Date: Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Time: Speaker Registration is 5:30pm; Meeting begins at 6:00pm

Place: Sampson County Exposition Center

          414 Warsaw Road

          Clinton, NC 28328

RSVP to Renee Kramer at renee.kramer@ncdenr.gov or (919) 707-8292