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on hog farms
needs extending
The four-year intensive livestock operation moratorium signed by Gov. Mike Easley in 2003 is set to expire this year. New technology that would make the disposal of hog farm waste more environmentally friendly and economically feasible is not ready, so an extension of the moratorium is a must.
A report in today’s edition says there are 45 major hog farm operations in Columbus County. North Carolina is second behind Iowa in hog production with nearly 10 million hogs. Iowa, however, is more sparsely populated than North Carolina, which just recently became the 10th most populated state in the nation.
In the mid 80s, North Carolina’s 15,000 hog farms produced 2.6 million hogs. Now, the state’s 10 million hogs are raised at only 3,600 sites, but these 3,600 sites are smelly and a threat to water quality should another major hurricane like Floyd rupture waste lagoons. That’s why more hog farms and a growing human population aren’t compatible.
The moratorium extension is important now more than ever for Columbus County as the county is starting to see some growth. As reported in Thursday’s paper, people are moving to Columbus County, and new subdivisions, particularly in the southern part of the county, are expected in the coming years.
The hog industry is a $1 billion business in North Carolina and has replaced some of the income once garnered from tobacco; yet, the governor and General Assembly should recognize that more growth in the hog industry would be a detriment to the state’s quality of life.
Columbus County, still largely agrarian and the third-largest county in the state with nearly 1,000 square miles, would be a prime target for new hog farms should the moratorium be removed. Without county zoning, the threat would be especially relevant.
The county can hardly afford to add more hog farms when it appears that an increasing number of people are turning to Columbus County as a good place to live.