Rep. Richard Morgan, R-Moore County, wants to halt all new hog productionfor a year and put a cap on expansion of existing hog farms. He said hewas motivatedto write the bill when hog producers announced they wanted to put a largehog farm hear some golf courses in Moore County. Morgan said he wanted tomake sure heavy spending tourists to his county won't have to smell hogwaste.
"This is an issue that affects a lot of people and perhaps it's time forincreased regulation of the expansion of this industry in North Carolina,"he said.
Hog farmers however are opposed to the plan. North Carolina Pork CouncilPresident Whitley Stephenson said the industry provided more that 25,000to the state and is the leading farm income producer.
Stephenson said this proposed bill would shut some hog farmers down sincethey would not be allowed to expanded. He said the farmers were trying tocurb the hog smells already.
"We're trying to do something about that," he said. "We're being proactiveand we need credit for that. We've not solved the issue but we'readdressing it."
Morgan's bill is expected to come to the House floor later this week.Opponents are attempting to send it back to the Agricultural Committeewhere it would probably die
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