Legislative Watch: Protecting Big Hog at the Expense of Neighbors
Last week, the North Carolina Senate voted to strip away injured neighbors’ right to seek court protection against the stench and health impacts from corporate hog farms.
SB 711, “NC Farm Act of 2018,” goes beyond prior industry efforts to limit the amount of damages that can be awarded to injured neighbors. The bill says that affected neighbors have no right even to seek legal protection or compensation for these “nuisance” injuries at all. These provisions were inserted in SB 711 after a federal court decision in North Carolina recently awarded a group of hog farm neighbors millions of dollars in damages for these very polluting practices.
Does that hog waste lagoon or the hog waste sprayed onto fields next door make your family sick or send over swarms of flies to drive you indoors? Tough luck, said the legislators who voted to protect the international corporation.
Despite objections to these and other problems in the bill, the Senate voted 32-13 on Thursday to give it preliminary approval. A final Senate vote is scheduled for today (Monday, June 11). If approved, the bill will then go to the House.
