The Attack
Anti-agriculture activist groups have launched baseless attacks against North Carolina family farmers. It started with the Waterkeeper Alliance paying for billboards along our highways attacking North Carolina pork farmers. The billboards made charges that are totally false.
Then, out of state lawyers came to our farming communities and signed hundreds of people up to sue their hog farming neighbors for being a nuisance. These lawsuits are not just threatening farm families, but have the potential to devastate the local economy and impact thousands of individual’s jobs.
These attacks against pork farmers could potentially send meat production and agricultural jobs out of North Carolina, costing rural areas of the state thousands of jobs and local counties and schools millions of dollars in tax revenues.
What can I do to help?
In addition to educating yourself and getting the facts on the pork industry and its benefits to North Carolina, we encourage you to take action and let regulators and elected officials know that you support family farmers in North Carolina.
Pork is a vital part of North Carolina’s and America’s history, economy and everyday life. Behind this longstanding agricultural industry are the farmers, processors and allied industries that all work together to produce the highest quality, safest and most affordable supply of pork and pork products in the world.
LEARN THE FACTS
Environmental Protection
The pork industry is the most highly regulated industry in all of agriculture. As responsible pork producers, they welcome inspections by the N.C. Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) every year to ensure compliance with strict environmental regulations. Farms are constantly improving operations, working closely with regulators, environmental organizations and scientists to improve these environmental management systems.
State Economic Impact
The pork industry in North Carolina employs more than 50,000 people throughout the pork production, processing and distribution chain.
Pork production in North Carolina has a total economic impact estimated at $13 billion, directly contributing over $2.5 billion to the North Carolina state economy. The industry generates millions of dollars in tax revenue towards local schools and infrastructure in addition to spurring construction, banking, restaurants, real estate, automobile dealers, machinery and other areas of the economy.
Pork Production
North Carolina is one of the nation’s leading pork producing states. The pork industry in North Carolina ranks second in pork production in the nation, coming in just behind Iowa. Current inventory of 8.9 million hogs in NC or slightly less than 14% of the total inventory of the entire country.
