Source: Lisa M. Keefe, MEATINGPLACE, 10/15/15


The Southern Environmental Law Center filed a fresh motion on behalf of Waterkeeper Alliance Inc. and Sound Rivers Inc. in a case against Murphy-Brown LLC — soon to be known as the Smithfield Hog Production Division — that was closed with a consent decree in 2006.

The consent decree ended a lawsuit that the environmental groups brought over what they claimed was risk to the North Carolina river system from the company’s extensive hog production facilities near state waterways. The latest filing alleged that Murphy-Brown is in violation of the consent decree because the company has not allowed an outside consultant to conduct a “Groundwater Risk Ranking program Phase II Data Needs Assessment and Implementing Scope of Work.”

The testing and data collection was to be done by a “mutually agreed upon, independent consultant,” S&ME of Raleigh, N.C.
Alternatively, the plaintiffs asked in their documents that the court require a “resolution of [Murphy-Brown’s] dispute with the consulting firm." A memo filed with the motion indicates that Murphy-Brown has submitted data to the consulting firm that the consultant feels is inadequate, and Murphy-Brown disagrees. Efforts to mediate the disagreement have fallen short and work to be done under the consent decree has been stopped.

Murphy-Brown and Smithfield executives were not immediately available for comment.

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