In the state of North Carolina, there are almost as many hogs as there are people. Coming in at the third highest count of hogs in US states[1], the state of North Carolina has about 9.5 million hogs at any given time for the sale and consumption of pork[2]. This industry creates over 19,000 jobs and $10 billion annually for the state in economic output[3]. But there is another side to this industry. Each year, those 9.5 million hogs produce over 10 billion gallons of waste[4]. This excess of waste causes, predictably, massive problems both for the environment, and the people in the surrounding area. To resolve this massive problem of environmental justice, the North Carolina state government needs to make investments in biogas capturing systems and pasture-based hog farming.
Effect on the Environment
Before the hog waste is sprayed out onto fields, it sits in massive ponds of manure referred to as lagoons. These lagoons release methane and other greenhouse gasses into the air constantly. However, with any serious rain comes the risk of an overflow. During Hurricane Florence in 2018, over 50 lagoons in North Carolina overflowed[5]. In addition to raising nitrogen levels in all the surrounding water, the runoff from these lagoons compromised drinking water and crops alike with dangerous bacteria that had been growing in the waste[6]. Each overflow risks an algal bloom in all surrounding bodies of water and a public health crisis from the bacteria in the drinking water. These two issues, along with methane constantly released into the atmosphere show this is not a sustainable practice.
Environmental Justice
The excess of this waste is then used by farmers as fertilizer. While this seems like a sustainable action, in reality this could not be further from the truth. Thousands of gallons of waste are sprayed into the air[7]. This, of course creates, virtually unlivable conditions in the surrounding area. For the people living in those areas, these farms create both health issues as well as massive financial issues. This is directly a matter of racial injustice: African American North Carolinians are 1.54x as likely as white residents to live within three miles of a swine facility[8].
These black families, who have already been marginalized by society, are then subjected to smells so bad and so strong that doing activities and chores outside is not feasible[9]. This is before all the proven health effects: in the short term, nausea, vomiting, and coughs; in the long term, higher infant mortality, kidney disease, mortality from anemia, and tuberculosis[10]. And the problems do not stop there. The proximity of the swine farms in many cases lower the property values of homes to almost nothing. This not only devalues family’s main assets, but forces them to stay in this unsafe location, as they could never sell the house, and would not have the money to buy a new house without selling their old house[11]. In 2018, homeowners won a class action lawsuit against major swine companies and it looked like they might receive compensation, until North Carolina state legislature passed a law limiting the amount that homeowners could receive in that kind of case[12].
These swine facilities, with the help of North Carolina state legislature, are aiding in the systematic financial oppression of black citizens.
Biogas
These lagoons of pig waste do not have to be all bad. The massive amounts of methane produced by the lagoons present an opportunity to generate power through biogas. A method called anaerobic digestion collects this methane for energy, and the remaining liquid and solid waste, which cannot be used as biogas, is made into compost by the bacteria in the lagoons. The covers and pipe system are extremely expensive, but once they are installed, the farmers can sell the energy they collect. In addition, these systems significantly reduce the chances of overflows during storms. This is not a perfect solution, as there is an incentive to create more waste for increased profits[13], but these systems have the capability of limiting smells and the spray of manure, as well as stopping overflows, all while reducing the need for fossil fuels[14]. This is a first step towards solving both the equity and environmental problems presented by hog farming.
The Need for Policy
Unfortunately, hog farmers cannot afford to make these massive investments on their own. In most cases, while the farmers own the land and waste, big companies own the hogs, meaning the farmers have very little spending money. This is why subsidies for installing these anaerobic digestion systems, which have existed in the past[15], are so essential. By investing in biogas systems in hog farming, the North Carolina government can simultaneously put money into reducing fossil fuel use and helping a $10 billion industry. It is worth noting, however, that pasture raised hogs is truly the more sustainable method of hog farming, although it is more expensive and requires more land[16]. If the North Carolina State Legislature makes an investment now in creating subsidies for pasture-based farms as well as biogas covers for CAFOs, they can seriously reduce the environmental footprint of one of their biggest industries, all while helping their own disadvantaged citizens.
Endnotes
[1] Statistica. (2020, March). Top 10 U.S. states by inventory of hogs and pigs as of March 2020. Retrieved from Statistica: https://www.statista.com/statistics/194371/top-10-us-states-by-number-of-hogs-and-pigs/
[2] Vice. (2018, October 12). Why North Carolina Can’t Solve Its Hog Poop Problem (HBO). Retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKyGdf2v6vw
[3] National Hog Farmer. (2019, December 19). North Carolina pork industry continues to be economic powerhouse. Retrieved from National Hog Farmer: https://www.nationalhogfarmer.com/livestock/north-carolina-pork-industry-continues-be-economic-powerhouse
[4] Vice. (2018, October 12). Why North Carolina Can’t Solve Its Hog Poop Problem (HBO). Retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKyGdf2v6vw
[5] Davis, W. (2018, September 22). Overflowing Hog Lagoons Raise Environmental Concerns In North Carolina. Retrieved from National Public Radio: https://www.npr.org/2018/09/22/650698240/hurricane-s-aftermath-floods-hog-lagoons-in-north-carolina
[6] Davis, W. (2018, September 22). Overflowing Hog Lagoons Raise Environmental Concerns In North Carolina. Retrieved from National Public Radio: https://www.npr.org/2018/09/22/650698240/hurricane-s-aftermath-floods-hog-lagoons-in-north-carolina
[7] Yeoman, B. (2019, August 27). ‘It smells like a decomposing body’: North Carolina’s polluting pig farms. Retrieved from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/27/it-smells-like-a-decomposing-body-north-carolinas-polluting-pig-farms
[8] Mock, B. (2018, October 7). North Carolina’s Environmental History is Littered with Racial Injustice. Retrieved from Pacific Standard: https://psmag.com/social-justice/environmental-racism-in-north-carolina
[9] Yeoman, B. (2019, August 27). ‘It smells like a decomposing body’: North Carolina’s polluting pig farms. Retrieved from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/27/it-smells-like-a-decomposing-body-north-carolinas-polluting-pig-farms
[10] Mock, B. (2018, October 7). North Carolina’s Environmental History is Littered with Racial Injustice. Retrieved from Pacific Standard: https://psmag.com/social-justice/environmental-racism-in-north-carolina
[11] Yeoman, B. (2019, August 27). ‘It smells like a decomposing body’: North Carolina’s polluting pig farms. Retrieved from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/27/it-smells-like-a-decomposing-body-north-carolinas-polluting-pig-farms
[12] Stolark, J. (2018, August 10). Stink, Swine, and Nuisance: The North Carolina Hog Industry and its Waste Management Woes. Retrieved from Environmental and Energy Study Institute: https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/stink-swine-and-nuisance-the-north-carolina-hog-industry-and-its-waste-mana
[13] Longest, R. (2020, February 28). North Carolina’s hog industry could turn a corner—for better or worse. Retrieved from Scalawag: https://www.scalawagmagazine.org/2020/02/nc-hog-farm-legislature/
[14] Stolark, J. (2018, August 10). Stink, Swine, and Nuisance: The North Carolina Hog Industry and its Waste Management Woes. Retrieved from Environmental and Energy Study Institute: https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/stink-swine-and-nuisance-the-north-carolina-hog-industry-and-its-waste-mana
[15] Vice. (2018, October 12). Why North Carolina Can’t Solve Its Hog Poop Problem (HBO). Retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKyGdf2v6vw
[16] Longest, R. (2020, February 28). North Carolina’s hog industry could turn a corner—for better or worse. Retrieved from Scalawag: https://www.scalawagmagazine.org/2020/02/nc-hog-farm-legislature/
I appreciate that you considered both transitioning to more sustainable hog farming in addition to the implementation of biogas production because I believe both will be necessary to resolve this complex issue. I think that biogas has a real future for renewable energy production in rural areas because the infrastructure required for production revolves around the disposal of natural waste (which already isn’t fully covered in some rural areas lacking adequate sewage and drainage infrastructure).
Most significantly, you really clearly address the negative social impacts of these hog farms in a comprehensive manner which illustrates the extended impacts of simple proximity to the hazardous waste. Given these adverse impacts on primarily black and poorer NC communities, the state must carefully determine how this policy can compensate these people for poor health impacts as well as extensive economic degradation. The revenue from these biogas energy sources must be equitably distributed throughout the communities which have suffered from these farming practices for far too long.