The Summitis designed to provide an opportunity for citizens, scientists, regulators, policy-makers and industry representatives to openly discuss these proposed solutions to the industry's problems, said Todd Miller of the North Carolina Coastal Federation. Most of North Carolina's hog production occurs in coastal watersheds already degraded by water pollution. During the summer of 1995 severe spills of hog waste caused catastrophic fish kills. In July, over 22 million gallons of hog waste spilled into the New River, twice as much as the oil released during the Exxon Valdez disaster. Explosive growth in this industry threatens to negate improvements to control pollution from other sources costing millions of dollars, said Dr. Doug Rader of theNorth Carolina Environmental Defense Fund.
Hogs generate two to five times the bodily waste of humans.
A hog farm housing 10,000 or more hogs can produce a quantity of excrement equivalent to that produced by a city of 20,000 to 50,000 people. Large amounts of marginally treated animal waste pose substantial risks to the environment and citizens in eastern North Carolina, said Kristin Rowles of the Pamlico Tar River Foundation. Current regulations are simply inadequate to protect public health and the environment. Our recommendations identify loopholes and oversights in existing rules, and offer solutions for resolving environmental problems caused by the hog industry, said Derb Carter of the Southern Environmental Law Center.