The status of waste spraying and hog operations in eastern North Carolina has reached a critical point. Lagoon levels are too high, waste spraying is taking place on saturated fields, and unless immediate action is taken we risk serious long-term environmental damage.
Aggressive prosecution has a powerful deterrent effect.
I am announcing today my office's three-part plan for tough enforcement action to bring irresponsible hog operators and integrators into immediate compliance with North Carolina law. First, I have established four enforcement teams of lawyers and staff from my office and instructed them to begin working with DENR immediately to get prosecutions started. These teams were assembled over the weekend and can go into the field within 24 hours. We cannot let the violators continue with business as usual. We need to initiate prosecutions, get court orders and impose tough sanctions.