Here We Go Again

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Here we go again. The latest attack on North Carolina hog farmers, a blog posted on a National Geographic forum by a friend of the Waterkeeper 
Alliance, features a familiar cast of characters repeating the same false
 claims.The blog features Rene Miller, who lives across the road from a 100-acre
 farm in Duplin County that raises hogs. That part of her story is accurate. 
But the claims she makes simply aren't true."Several times every week, the farmer pumps (waste) into the air 20 yards 
from her front door," the blog says.

But it’s not true. All hog farmers must keep detailed records every time they irrigate, so we checked to see how often the farmer across the road sprays that portion of his farm. In the past three months, he's sprayed exactly two times. Not "several times a week."Not only that, the farmer invested several years ago in sophisticated 
irrigation technology - called a center pivot - that's specifically designed 
to keep the spray low to the ground and minimize the potential to drift.So why is Rene Miller making these claims? The farmer has no idea. He says
 she's never once complained to him, and never complained to state regulators
 either. Neither have his other neighbors.The first he heard about her concerns was when she filed a nuisance lawsuit 
against him three years ago. For years, lawyers have been approaching people like Rene and encouraging them to file these types of lawsuits against major
 hog production companies. (None of the other neighbors who live near the
 farm joined the lawsuit.)Perhaps, Rene hopes that attacks like this will bolster her chances of
 winning her lawsuit, regardless of whether her claims are true or not.The blog ends by claiming that "science" will show how harmful hog farms are 
to our environment. But here's a scientific fact they conveniently fail to 
mention: North Carolina's 2015 health rankings show that Duplin County is 
the 8th healthiest county in the state in terms of "physical environment," a measure that considers certain air quality, housing, water and
 transportation factors.Our hog farmers live and work in these communities. They breathe the same
 air, drink the same water, and care deeply about protecting our environment.

New Report Shows Bold Environmental Achievements, More Focus on a Sustainable Supply Chain for Smithfield Foods

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SMITHFIELD, Va., June 29, 2016 -- Today, Smithfield Foods, Inc. announced the release of the second installment of its 15th annual sustainability and financial report, which focuses on environmental goals and practices that improve Smithfield's performance while promoting supply chain efficiency. The Environment section of this year's report shows solid improvements in reducing the company's natural resource demand and leadership in advancing sustainable farming practices.