This hog industry smokescreen not only misrepresents the relative contribution of municipalities to water pollution, but seriously understates the environmental problems associated with factory hog farming in North Carolina. Agricultural runoff, including runoff from hog and other factory livestock operations, continues to be the biggest source of nutrient pollution in North Carolina.
Municipalities are subject to strict waste control technology requirements.
The requirements, imposed under the federal Clean Water Act, have resulted in significant reductions in pollution from municipalities and other industrial polluters. In contrast, hog factories are not subject to these strict technology requirements, nor do they treat or disinfect hog waste before it's applied to the land. Although the state legislature recently tightened limits even further on municipalities and other industrial sources that discharge into nutrient impaired waterways, no similar provisions have been made for wastes from hog factories. Despite the pork industry's claims, municipal sewage treatment plants are significantly more regulated than factory hog farms. In fact, sewage treatment plants and other industrial polluters have been subject to strict state and federal requirements for decades.