letter to the editor
Get Rid of Hog Lagoons?
Emily Neville’s “This little piggy went all the way down the stream” was filled with good intentions. However, even the best of intentions can be off base.
Neville compares hog lagoons to an “infected leg that needs an amputation.” Those are some pretty strong words, especially when a lot of facts didn’t make it into the article.
Facts like the American Rivers group’s statement that the Neuse and Cape Fear Rivers are safe for swimming, fishing, and kayaking — just before, in the next breath, it turned around and said they’re among the most endangered rivers in America. Or, how about the fact that the American Rivers group, itself, said its report isn’t based on a scientific report — just a political agenda.
There’s also the fact that despite devastating rains and flooding during Hurricane Matthew, 99 percent of lagoons did not overflow (or, in other words, didn’t pollute rivers). Neville painted a much bleaker picture.
Finally, there is the fact that lagoons and sprayfields were designed by NCSU professors and researchers in the first place.
The North Carolina pork industry is a pioneer in environmentally sound practices. That’s one reason why, for years, we’ve worked with NCSU. That’s why millions of dollars are spent every year on research and complying with regulations to protect the environment.
To quote J.D. Menzies, a microbiologist in the Soil and Water Conservation Research Division of the USDA, “The return of organic wastes to the soil is a part of the natural cycle. No system that avoids or abuses this cycle can be considered permanent.” Hog waste isn’t waste; it is a natural resource, which farmers use to grow other crops.
Marisa Linton
NCSU Alumus 2016
Mount Olive, NC