I heard that there was a compelling story on the North Carolina "hog industry" on the {it}60 Minutes{/it} CBS documentary television program. It detailed the environmental catastrophe brought about by bringing millions of pigs (NC has more pigs than people!), each generating four or five times the feces of a human, into an area right on NC water tables that are used for human drinking water. It reported that nine and a half million tons of hog manure is produced in this state annually, 30% of water sources around hog farms are contaminated, and diseases like swine flu virus are being carried by the water. The dung ends up in our streams and rivers, causing green algae to grow, closing rivers for swimming and killing many thousands of fish.

The show also provided footage of factory farmed pigs, interspersed with cuts from the "pro-pig" movie {it}Babe{/it}, to reveal how pigs are really treated. The industry has been accused of flagrant violation of laws, including "dumping" "useless" pig carcasses to rot in open pits.

The story stated that Wendell Murphy, owner of a large hog farm, was a North Carolina state senator for ten years. He championed dozens of laws protecting the pork industry. U.S. Senator Lauch Faircloth was described to partially own a hog farm too, and he chairs a sumbommittee on the environment - while owning a $19 million stake in the industry.

Perhaps we can individually make a difference by contacting our state legislators and lobbying for much stricter legislation, including humane treatment of the pigs. Maybe we can hope and push for an enlightened society where our fellow creatures aren't "farmed" or slaughtered at all!

Should TVS Take a Position About Hog Farming in NC?

The Winnipeg Vegetarian Society in Manitoba, Canada is taking a position against their government's supporting hog industry expansion in Canada. They have asked if TVS would like to work with them, suggesting that a joint campaign with "out-of-province/out-of-state" letters would benefit both. If anybody wants to work on stating a position, getting that heard, and/or working with WVS, please contact Dilip.