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Hog waste trial nears end
Story Date: 4/25/2018
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Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 4/24/18
A federal trial with the potential to shape the future of industrial hog farming in North Carolina is headed into its home stretch with closing arguments today. For the past three weeks, a Raleigh jury has heard why life is miserable for residents living near Kinlaw Farms in the eastern area of the state. The smell of waste from 15,000 pigs fouls the air, attracts buzzards and poses health risks, neighbors say. Environmentalists have portrayed the case as an example of the dangers of industrial-scale farming.
Kinlaw Farms contracts with Smithfield, the world's largest pork producer. Hog farming is big business in North Carolina, which is the nation's second biggest pork producer behind Iowa. A jury decision in favor of the 10 plaintiffs could spell trouble for Smithfield and its thousands of state employees, the company says.
"The smell - you never know when it's going to come, when it's going to affect you," said plaintiff Daphne McKoy, describing how it often forces her family to retreat inside for relief.
Defense's position: Attorneys representing Smithfield argue the complaints are overblown and that Kinlaw Farms follows all the regulations governing large-scale pig production facilities. They also say there's limited evidence neighbors are suffering health problems as a result of exposure to the farm conditions.
Last shot: Today is the last opportunity for lawyers on both sides to make their points. After closing arguments, the case will be handed off to a jury to deliberate whether residents should be awarded damages. The trial had been expected to last as long as five weeks but the judge wouldn't let some of the defense witnesses testify as experts, shortening its case.
This suit is one of several -hundreds of residents filed a complaint against Murphy-Brown, a subsidiary of Smithfield, in 2014. How the jury views these complaints will likely determine whether the remaining cases go to trial. Pro Ag's Liz Crampton will be providing updates from North Carolina.
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