RALEIGH, N.C – It might be called the case of pigs versus putters.
In North Carolina, where the hog industry has been the darling of the business and political elites through a decade of incredible growth, the golfing lobby is finding its voice.
State legislators are considering new restrictions on how far hog barns must be from property lines, other buildings and public spaces like golf courses.
Hog industry leaders like Whitley Stephenson, of the North Carolina Pork Producers’ Association, have denounced it as a death sentence on the $1 billion annual industry, one of the state’s largest.
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“I am a second generation pork producer from Johnston County,” he told a state legislative committee in late February. “If this bill passes in its entirety, it will mean there will be no third generation pork producer in my family.”
The irony is that the sponsor of the tougher laws is Republican Richard Morgan, a traditional supporter of any business, including hogs, which promised jobs and economic growth.
Now, the golf course owners in his Moore County vacation playground are up in arms over the prospect of a new hog barn application.
Morgan has become a born-again environmentalist.
“What would you expect,” snorts Walter Cherry, executive director of the hog producers’ association. “He is a politician. They are not friends of the industry.”
In North Carolina, where the hog sector has more than doubled in the past decade to become first in the nation, that has not been accepted wisdom.
Environmentalists complain that agri-business and political elites have worked in lock-step to encourage growth of an environmentally unsustainable industry.
On both sides, players in the North Carolina controversy say there are lessons to be learned for the Canadian Prairies as they plan for an expanded hog industry.
Politicians: Be certain there are proper rules in place to control pollution and to fend off inevitable taxpayer concerns.
Investors: Make certain local residents and politicians understand what is proposed and accept it. Have a sophisticated waste management plan in place.
Non-farm residents: Be prepared to consider the trade-off between some inconvenience and local jobs and economic activity before jumping to conclusions.
Prospective producers: Check out the costs, returns and guarantees before investing. There will be pressure for vertical integration and contract production. Think it through.
“The mistake we made, unavoidable given the make-up of our country, is that we didn’t know the implications,” said Raleigh-based environmental lawyer and anti-hog industry activist Doug Rader.
“The business climate in the state has not been to regulate people out of business,” agreed Cherry of the hog producers’ lobby.
For John Deen, hog industry expert and member of North Carolina State University veterinary faculty, the key in Canada is to nurture public opinion.
As a relatively recent transplant south from Canada, he has seen the political and business cultures of both countries.
“The first thing is to be forthright and honest,” he said. “Concede that waste management is an issue. Present a plan. We still haven’t figured out how to deal with public perception. Right now on the Prairies, there seems to be heady optimism and that’s fine but there will be problems with public acceptance. They can be overcome, but they cannot be ignored or minimized.”
