CLINTON — Companies that build big hog barns are very unhappy with Governor Hunt's new proposal to place a moratorium on the building of new hog farms for two years.

Hog Slats, Inc. of Sampson County says if that proposal becomes a reality, the company would have to lay off much of its work force of 650. But environmentalists say the measure is necessary because the impact of hog farming on the environment must be studied.

Between 1990 and 1996, North Carolina's hog population nearly quadrupled.