In order to deal with overflowing lagoons, places like Duplin County, North Carolina practice waste spray operations in which hog feces are sprayed into the air with diluted water. This pollutes air particles leaving neighborhoods covered in stench and making it difficult to breathe (Robinson, 2016). There are 32 pigs:1 human in Duplin County, where pig farming has been made part of their national identity from Smithfield’s large acquisition of small farms and presence in schools. The county is historically lower income with isolated African American populations, often the neighbors to industrial hog operations (Hellerstein & Fine, 2017). This environmental racism and corporate consolidation needs to stop. The best way to combat the unfair living conditions of humans and hogs in Duplin County? Lower the demand for meat by shifting consumption patterns.
Citations:
Hellerstein, E., & Fine, K. (2017, September 20). A million tons of feces and an unbearable stench: life near industrial pig farms. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/sep/20/north-carolina-hog-industry-pig-farms
Robinson, C. (2018, January 25). Duplin County: Life Under the Waste Sprayer. Retrieved from https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2016/07/18/duplin-county-life-under-the-waste-sprayer/
Image Source: https://tinyurl.com/t3hk6or