Smithfield Workers Protest
Many workers at the Smithfield hog processing plant in Tar Heel North Carolina continue to speak-out about what they call "bad" work conditions. But yesterday instead of just speaking-out – hundreds of...
View ArticleUnion Fight Headed To Court
The fight between Smithfield and the United Food and Commercial Workers over unionizing the Tar Heel hog processing plant has entered a new phase. A federal judge in Virginia has allowed a lawsuit...
View ArticleHog Farm Pollution Tied To Residents' Symptoms
People living near hog farms in the eastern part of the state experience breathing problems when emissions from hog waste are highest - that's from new research done by UNC environmental scientists....
View ArticleOrphan Piglets Get New Home
Durham County Animal Shelter officials auctioned off five little pigs today. The young piglets made headlines two months ago after they turned up on interstate forty blocking traffic. The porkers have...
View ArticleNew Laws Take Effect Saturday
More than 50 new laws take effect this weekend in North Carolina. Among the changes starting Saturday is a new provision in the medical malpractice law. People who file lawsuits will be limited to...
View ArticleSmithfield Ending Controversial Hog Crates
Animal rights advocates are welcoming news that Smithfield Foods is on track to phase out the use of small metal crates for pregnant hogs. The company said in a statement it will end the practice by...
View ArticleConnecting Hog Farms To Pipelines Could Streamline Methane Gas Energy
Researchers at Duke University say they have shed more light on the prospects of using hog waste to produce energy. A study released last week says capturing methane gas from hog farms and routing it...
View ArticleSmithfield Foods Goes 'Hog Wild' Over Shuanghui Merger
The multi-billion dollar merger announcement between Smithfield Foods and China-based Shuanghui International caught many people by surprise. Smithfield owns the largest hog processing plant in the...
View ArticleN.C. Hog Farm Neighbors File Nuisance Complaints
Hundreds of people in eastern North Carolina have filed nuisance complaints against Smithfield Foods about the way hog farmers dispose of their waste. A Wake County court received nearly 600 complaints...
View ArticleFatal Swine Disease Could Strike NC Hog Industry
A fatal swine disease is striking the nation's hog industry. Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus or PED is usually deadly for baby pigs. Its symptoms resemble dysentery, and it's spread through bodily...
View ArticleRaleigh Transit Authority Sued For Rejecting Bus Ad Showing Caged Pigs
The Humane Society of the United States is suing the Raleigh Transit Authority after the city rejected a bus advertisement showing pigs in cages. The ad proposal meant for the outside of buses has...
View ArticleEPA Will Investigate DENR Over Hog Lagoons
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is launching an investigation into the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The investigation will look at whether DENR was too lenient in...
View ArticleHog Waste In NC Has Been A Relatively Untapped Fuel Source. Until Now.
North Carolina isn’t rich in coal, natural gas or oil deposits, but it has more hogs than nearly any other state. And for many years, people have been trying to figure out a way to turn hog waste into...
View ArticlePeople Living Near Industrial Hog Farms See Higher Risk Of Diseases, Study
Do large-scale hog farms make their neighbors sick? A new study from Duke University researchers show residents who live close to industrial hog farms have a higher risk of potentially deadly diseases.
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