Officials in Pender County, North Carolina this week drafted a resolution designed to support local hog farmers and other agribusinesses that may be targeted by lawsuits over alleged environmental pollution violations.
The Pender County Board of Commissioners this week proposed the resolution that backs up the North Carolina Farm Act of 2018, which state legislators passed last month to protect farmers from what were described as “frivolous nuisance lawsuits.” The law sets limits on conditions that allow for lawsuits against agricultural operations alleged to be a nuisance and was passed in the wake of a $25 million damage judgment against the Murphy-Brown subsidiary of Smithfield Foods in June.
County officials stressed that resolution 07232018 supports all North Carolina farmers, not just hog farmers, according to a report in The Port City Daily. The resolution notes that agriculture and agribusiness is the No. 1 industry in North Carolina and contributes $85 billion to the state’s economy.
