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80-456: A large-scale enclosure for raising pigs is generally called a hog lot . Unlike a sty which would be found on a mixed farm, a hog lot is usually a dedicated facility. A locked enclosure with confined/restricted movement and freedom to exercise, is known as a boar-stall . According to some experts such forced immobilization was believed to elevate cortisol . The family hog pen was a small-scale system of pig farming found on family farms of

160-551: A California ballot measure passed in 2018, also bans the sale of whole, uncooked pork cuts throughout the state if the producers are noncompliant with the ban, affecting both in-state and out-of-state pig farmers. Discharge from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) is regulated by the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In 2003, EPA revised the Clean Water Act to include permitting requirements and discharge limitations for CAFOs. In 2008 , EPA revised

240-494: A May episode of New Zealand television show Sunday . King condemned the "appalling treatment" of factory farmed pigs. King observed conditions inside a New Zealand piggery , and saw a dead female pig inside a gestation crate, lame and crippled pigs and others that could barely stand, pigs either extremely depressed or highly distressed, pigs with scars and injuries, and a lack of clean drinking water and food. Sow crate farming should be illegal and we should outlaw it right now. It

320-448: A cement wallow which contains water cools the pig much better. Alternatively, shade may be provided for the pigs. Pink pigs are especially prone to sunburn. Many family farm hog pens were improvised enclosures made of any handy free material. The pen is often kept small to conserve building material and effort. Historically, these farms fed hogs on grain, fruit and vegetables that are not fit for sale or family use. Overage produce from

400-481: A certain threshold concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). In the 1970s, a series of laws, known as "Murphy's Laws", were passed in North Carolina to eliminate the sales tax on hog farm equipment and to prevent authorities from using authority to prevent and address odor issues. After the passage of Murphy's Laws and other similar bills, there was a rapid increase in industry in North Carolina, where

480-406: A crate prior to insemination and will stay there for at least the start of her pregnancy, depending on each country's laws and local regulations. The typical length of the sow's pregnancy is 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days. In certain cases, sows may spend this time in the crate. However, a variety of farming systems are used and the time in the crate may vary from 4 weeks to the whole pregnancy. There

560-418: A day. They reported levels of hog odor, and recorded their blood pressure. The study found that like noise and other similar environmental stressors, the malodors from the swine operations were likely associated with an increase in blood pressure, which could contribute to an increase in chronic hypertension. There are many documented incidences of disease outbreaks occurring due to the presence of pig farms in

640-666: A given community, particularly industrial pig farms. MRSA ( Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus , a type of anti-biotic resistant bacteria) outbreaks have been correlated to an individual working in a pig farm, likely attributed to the strong antibiotics often used in industrialized pig farms . Other diseases can also spread in pig farms such as Salmonella , Toxoplasma , and Campylobacter . Many of these diseases are preventable given proper safety precautions such as washing hands and clothes, wearing face masks, and covering any open wounds when coming into contact with pigs. Improvements in farmer education about diseases are often cited as

720-732: A lagoon burst in North Carolina. This lagoon released 25 million gallons of noxious sludge into North Carolina's New River and killed approximately eight to ten million fish. The toxins emitted by the swine CAFOs can produce a variety of symptoms and illnesses ranging from respiratory disorders, headaches, and shortness of breath to hydrogen sulfide poisoning, bronchitis, and asthma. The potential for spray field runoff or lagoon leakage puts nearby residents in danger of contaminated drinking water, which can lead to diseases like samonellosis , giardiasis , Chlamydia , meningitis , cryptosporidiosis , worms , and influenza . Slaughterhouses and veterinarians are obliged to report pigs with injuries to

800-412: A limited tolerance to high temperatures and heat stress can lead to death. Maintaining a more specific temperature within the pig-tolerance range also maximizes growth and growth-to-feed ratio. Indoor piggeries have allowed pig farming to be undertaken in countries or areas with unsuitable climate or soil for outdoor pig raising. In an intensive operation, pigs no longer need access to a wallow (mud), which

880-418: A permit. But, this regulation varies from state to state and most of the time, enforcement only happens in response to citizen complaints, rather than active monitoring. Further, locally developed policies often have inefficient resources and abilities to enforce regulation, and often don't address transboundary issues that arise with pig operations that exist across multiple states. And with Federal laws such as

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960-521: A sufficient quantity of material to enable proper investigation and manipulation activities. Under the legislation tail docking may only be used as a last resort. The law provides that farmers must first take measures to improve the pigs' conditions and, only where these have failed to prevent tail biting, may they tail dock. As of 2023, ten states have banned the use of gestation crates: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, Oregon, and Rhode Island. Proposition 12 ,

1040-579: A tactic used to fertilize its fields. It is true that historically hog feces have been used as fertilizer and can be done safely and without runoff, but the magnitude was described by Dan Whittle, a former senior policy associate at the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, as a "mass imbalance", with far too great a magnitude of fecal matter being sprayed for the crops being generated to not have significant spill off into neighboring plots of land. Many residents of

1120-582: A threat to the well-being and performance of pig production. Pork is the most popular meat in China. Intensive pig farming leads to smog and water pollution in some Chinese regions. According to the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture , livestock farming is the leading cause of water pollution in the country. In Hong Kong, a study was done on farmers to identify key barriers and challenges associated with pig farming in that area. The farmers revealed that

1200-407: A three foot deep puddle of fecal matter. This was described as a common occurrence in this community and many others. Communities located near factory pig farms experience negative health and environmental effects due to several factors associated with industrial pig farming. One main issue that arises out of intensive animal agriculture is the waste that the huge number of animals produce. Pig waste

1280-443: A transparent view of farm operations. These laws forbid the undercover video-taping or documenting of farms without the consent of the farm's owner. These laws are targeted at keeping animal rights and environmental activists away from the most damaging farm operations. These laws emerged in the 90's and are now in effect in North Carolina, Utah, Missouri, Idaho, and Iowa, and is being considered in at least five states. These bills have

1360-426: A way to nurture the animals and protect them first during pregnancy. Because the animals are vulnerable during this time, with some sows more aggressive than others, the practice of separating the animals in crates keeps them from fighting and injuring each other. In addition, the case has also been made that crates make it easier for hog farmers to monitor individual sow health and administer vaccines as needed. Many of

1440-471: Is absolutely disgusting and I am sorry that I was part of it Environmental impact of pig farming The environmental impact of pig farming is mainly driven by the spread of feces and waste to surrounding neighborhoods, polluting air and water with toxic waste particles. Waste from pig farms can carry pathogens, bacteria (often antibiotic resistant), and heavy metals that can be toxic when ingested. Pig waste also contributes to groundwater pollution in

1520-640: Is also current controversy and criticism of 'farrowing crates'. A farrowing crate houses the sow in one section and her piglets in another. It allows the sow to lie down and roll over to feed her piglets, but keeps her piglets in a separate section. This prevents the large sow from sitting on her piglets and killing them, which is quite common where the sow is not separated from the piglets. Sows are also prevented from being able to move other than between standing and lying. Some models of farrowing crates may allow more space than others, and allow greater interaction between sow and young. Well-designed farrowing pens in which

1600-612: Is an advantage for addressing environmental impacts but a disadvantage for human health concerns, as the majority of local health issues get overlooked by state-run agencies. Additionally, although there are laws and regulations in place, such as the Swine Farm Environmental Performance Standards Act, which prohibits new waste lagoons and mandates that new CAFOs must use technology that will prevent discharge of waste, these regulations do not mandate for existing CAFOs to clean up or regulate

1680-647: Is found in the United States, where in 2001, 50 producers had control over 70% of total pork production. In 2001, the biggest CAFO had just over 710,000 sows . Originally, Murphy Family Farms horizontally integrated the North Carolina system. They laid the groundwork for the industry to be vertically integrated . Today the hog industry in North Carolina is led by Smithfield Foods , which has expanded into both nationwide and international production. The environmental justice problems in North Carolina's agroindustrialization of swine production seem to stem from

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1760-404: Is low in iron. Vitamin D supplements are also given to compensate for the lack of sunlight. As the sows' bodies become less capable of handling the large litter sizes encouraged by the industry, the frequency of stillborn piglets generally increases with each litter. These high litter sizes have doubled the death rates of sows, and as many as 25%-50% of sow deaths have been caused by prolapse ,

1840-493: Is not legally mandated and often economically unviable, these invasive procedures are usually done without any pain killers. While wild piglets remain with their mothers for around 12 to 14 weeks, farmed piglets are weaned and removed from their mothers at between two and five weeks old. They are then placed in sheds, nursery barns or directly to growout barns. While capable of living 10–12 years, most pigs are slaughtered when they are 5–6 months old. Indoor systems allow for

1920-424: Is similar to human waste; filled with bacteria and high amounts of ammonia. At most intensive pig farms, hog waste is kept in large open-air pits called lagoons where waste is broken down by anaerobic bacteria and then sprayed onto crops as fertilizer. This is called the lagoon and sprayfield system and remains legal in the United States, including in states like North Carolina where there have been on-going efforts in

2000-416: Is their natural cooling mechanism. Intensive piggeries control temperature through ventilation or drip water systems. The way animals are housed in intensive systems varies, and depending on economic viability, dry or open time for sows can sometimes be spent in indoor pens or outdoor pens or pastures. The pigs begin life in a farrowing or gestation crate , a small pen with a central cage, designed to allow

2080-567: The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries , which forwards cases to the police. There were relatively few cases before 2006, but by 2008-9 there were about 300 per year. When there are visible injuries, it represents not only a problem in animal welfare but also the farmers economy because parts or occasionally the entire carcass has to be discarded. From 2006 to 2009 the number of pigs with injuries caused by hard objects, such as planks or chains received by slaughterhouses rose significantly. It

2160-419: The runts , unusually small piglets who are considered economically unviable and killed by staff, typically by blunt trauma to the head. Piglets often have the following performed: castration , earmarking , tattooing for litter identification, tail docking , teeth clipping to prevent cannibalism , instability, aggression, and tail biting that is induced by the cramped environment. Because anesthetic

2240-418: The "black-belt", which is known for its previous production of cotton and tobacco farming. Many of the minority farmers are being put out of business because of concentrated animal feeding operations (factory farms). Staggering statistics show that compared to white-owned farms, black-owned farms have declined by 98% and there are only about 18,000 today. Furthermore, environmental justice activists have described

2320-462: The Clean Water and Clean Air act, regulation is delegated to state agencies, but these agencies don't usually take on active regulation until the damage has been done. Further, many operations are exempt because they have been grandfathered in, meaning they have been in operation for so long that they are not subject to the new laws. In 2014, National Geographic wrote a piece on the extent of

2400-655: The Humane Slaughter Act at dozens of slaughterhouses". Intensive piggeries have been negatively contrasted with free range systems. Such systems usually refer not to a group-pen or shedding system, but to outdoor farming systems. Those that support outdoor systems usually do so on the grounds that they are more animal friendly and allow pigs to experience natural activities (e.g., wallowing in mud, relating to young, rooting soil). Outdoor systems are usually less economically productive due to increased space requirements and higher morbidity, (though, when dealing with

2480-603: The NC legislature to ban open-air lagoon and sprayfield system practices in the state and replace these with more environmentally sound waste management practices. The waste then reaches neighboring towns, resulting in civilians not being able to even leave their house in order to avoid pig waste filled air. People living in nearby towns have suffered a variety of adverse health effects including respiratory diseases, infections, increased risk of cancer, and other health risks. The nitrogen from pig waste can also contribute to acid rain in

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2560-546: The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) by requiring CAFOs to apply for permits before they can discharge manure. The federal Humane Slaughter Act requires pigs to be stunned before slaughter, although compliance and enforcement is questioned. There is concern from animal liberation and welfare groups that the laws have not resulted in a prevention of animal suffering and that there are "repeated violations of

2640-577: The UK ban of sow stalls, the British Pig Executive indicates that the pig farming industry in the UK has declined. The increase in production costs has led to British pig-products being more expensive than those from other countries, leading to increased imports and the need to position UK pork as a product deserving a price premium. In 1997, Grampian Country Foods , then the UK's largest pig producer, pointed out that pigmeat production costs in

2720-540: The UK were 44 p/kg higher than on the continent. Grampian stated that only 2 p/kg of this was due to the ban on stalls; the majority of the extra costs resulted from the then strength of sterling and the fact that at that time meat and bone meal had been banned in the UK but not on the continent. A study by the Meat and Livestock Commission in 1999, the year that the gestation crate ban came into force, found that moving from gestation crates, to group housing added just 1.6 pence to

2800-723: The UK's Channel 4 in 2009. In other fields, such as bathing facilities for the pigs and floor material Danish requirements were higher than in the UK. As of 2008 the practice was already prohibited for pigs exported to the UK. The use of gestation crates became illegal in Denmark (as part of the EU) in 2013. According to Scoop , in 2009 the New Zealand pork industry was "dealt a shameful public relations slap-in-the-face after its former celebrity kingpin, Mike King , outed their farming practices as 'brutal', 'callous' and 'evil ' " on

2880-465: The UK, certain US states, and other European countries, although it remains part of pig production in much of the US and European Union. The sows selected for breeding will be confined in a gestation crate. Hogs (males) are kept confined in caged crates of the same size for the duration of their lives in order to have their sperm repeatedly extracted by workers. In an intensive system, the sow will be placed in

2960-634: The apparent linkage between air pollution and toxic hazards with the demographic of suburban communities that show black and low-income communities being the main targets. Due to the many environmental repercussions associated with common pig farming techniques, new technologies were created and tested to help prevent these problems. Manure from swine contains excess nitrogen and phosphorus which gets released into nearby water bodies, polluting streams and rivers and contributing to eutrophication. In order to combat this issue, scientists in North Carolina have tested treatment technologies that are designed to separate

3040-497: The biggest obstacle for improvement of pig husbandry practices was impeded by outdated government regulations. Swine farm manure leads to toxic algal blooms in the French region of Brittany. Industrial pig farming has become a common practice for producing pork in the country of France. However, the local community of consumers has become skeptical of intensive industrial pig production. Safety factors, quality of meat and impacts on

3120-616: The coast of Brittany, France was attributed to runoff from an intensive pig farm. As of 2010, North Carolina housed approximately ten million hogs, most of which are located in the eastern half of the state in industrialized concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). This was not the case 20 years ago. The initial horizontal integration and the vertical integration that arose in this industry resulted in numerous issues, including issues of environmental disparity, loss of work, pollution , animal rights , and overall general public health. The most remarkable example of swine CAFO monopoly

3200-484: The collapse of the sow's rectum, vagina, or uterus. Pig breeders repeat the cycle of impregnation and confinement for about 3 to 5 years or until the sow succumbs to her injuries, at which point she is then slaughtered for low-grade meat such as pies, pasties and sausage meat. Of the piglets born alive, 10% to 18% will not make it to weaning age, succumbing to disease, starvation, dehydration, or being accidentally crushed by their trapped mothers. This death toll includes

3280-597: The communities do not receive any benefit from the operations, and instead, suffer negative externalities , such as pollution and health problems. The United States Agriculture and Consumer Health Department has stated that the "main direct environmental impact of pig production is related to the manure produced. Many intensive pig farms store the swine waste in vats often referred to as lagoons. These lagoons often contain pathogens such as salmonella, pharmaceuticals like antibiotics and antimicrobials, as well as nitrogen and phosphorus. This can lead to widespread pollution within

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3360-403: The contamination in North Carolina. Swine sales in the state (second largest pork producer in the nation) were nearly $ 3 billion in 2012, and the state received attention in 1999 when Hurricane Floyd caused waste pods on the swine ponds to overflow, polluting the water supply. National Geographic suggested that despite the execution of a $ 17 million research project on waste in the area, no one in

3440-431: The cost of producing 1 kg of pigmeat. French and Dutch studies show that even in the higher welfare group housing systems – ones giving more space and straw – a kg of pigmeat costs less than 2 pence more to produce than in gestation crates. Organized campaigns by animal activists have focused on the use of the gestation crate, such as the 'gestation crate' and farrowing crate. The gestation crate has now been banned in

3520-452: The early 1900s, although backyard pig farming does still occur. Family hog pens enclosed just a few hogs to provide year-round meat for the table. Before refrigeration, some family farms depended on pigs as a primary source of meat and shortening ( lard ) for year-round food. Farms which had tenant families might have several hog pens. This is vastly different from the modern American hog farm which have an average of about 2,000 hogs , with

3600-464: The easy collection of waste. In an indoor intensive pig farm, manure can be managed through a lagoon system or other waste-management system. However, waste smell remains a problem which is difficult to manage. Pigs in the wild or on open farmland are naturally clean animals. In the UK there are around 11,000 pig farms. Approximately 1,400 of these units house more than 1,000 pigs and contain about 85% of

3680-526: The environment are all reasons for the decrease of pig farming production throughout France. Organic methods for raising swine has enticed 23% of producers and majority of the consumers support this. The Netherlands has one of the densest livestock sectors in the world. In 2019, a Dutch court halted the expansion of pig and other farms to prevent nitrogen pollution, which had led to algal blooms, smog , and soil acidification . The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) calls intensive farms above

3760-399: The environment in the form of contamination. Some spills and leakage of contaminated waste are not accidental. In 2014, Mark Devries used spy drones to expose pig farms in North Carolina that were spraying untreated fecal waste into the surrounding areas, allowing the waste to dissipate into far-off communities. Smithfield Foods, the company responsible for one such factory, claimed this was

3840-443: The farmer’s market and table and restaurant scraps were often diet elements as well. This practice of 'swill feeding' (feeding table scraps) is considered a disease risk today, though this is mainly associated with feeding meat to pigs, which is banned in many countries. Hogs were also fed "slops" made from middlings or corn meal stirred with milk and water. Historically, hogs were also allowed to forage in gardens and orchards after

3920-436: The floodwater. Social justice concerns regarding agricultural lands in rural areas have been rising because of the way minority communities are disproportionally affected by hazards and health risks associated with pig farming. Due to the immense amount of waste produced by pigs, often foul odors and airborne molecules disturb local citizens. There is an unfair distribution of these swine farms, where around 90% are located along

4000-467: The forms of groundwater seepage and waste spray into neighboring areas with sprinklers. The contents in the spray and waste drift have been shown to cause mucosal irritation, respiratory ailment, increased stress, decreased quality of life, and higher blood pressure. This form of waste disposal is an attempt for factory farms to be cost efficient. The environmental degradation resulting from pig farming presents an environmental injustice problem, since

4080-575: The harvest was over. Such foraging can cause erosion and runoff, but the small scale of these operations prevented this from occurring. Hog lot Intensive pig farming , also known as pig factory farming , is the primary method of pig production , in which grower pigs are housed indoors in group-housing or straw-lined sheds, whilst pregnant sows are housed in gestation crates or pens and give birth in farrowing crates. The use of gestation crates for pregnant sows has lowered birth production costs; Gestation crates or individual stalls are used as

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4160-739: The highest disease rates, the least access to medical care, and the greatest need for positive education and economic development. Since hog production has become consolidated in the coastal region of N.C., the high water tables and low-lying flood plains have increased the risk and impact of hog farm pollution. A swine CAFO is made up of three parts: the hog house, the “lagoon,” and the “spray field.” Waste disposal techniques used by small-scale traditional hog farms, like using waste as fertilizer for commercially viable crops, were adopted and expanded for use by CAFOs. Lagoons are supposed to be protected with an impermeable liner, but some do not work properly. This can cause environmental damage, as seen in 1995 when

4240-404: The history of the coastal region's economy, which has relied heavily on black and low-income populations to supply the necessary agricultural labor. The industry's shift from family-owned hog farms to factory hogging has contributed to the frequent targeting of these areas. This swine production and pollution that accompanies factory hogging is concentrated in the parts of North Carolina that have

4320-478: The incidence of worms and parasites in pigs. Management of these problems depends on local conditions, such as geography, climate, and the availability of skilled staff. In certain environmental conditions – for example, a temperate climate – outdoor pig farming of these breeds is possible. However, there are many other breeds of pig suited to outdoor rearing, as they have been used in this way for centuries, such as Gloucester Old Spot and Oxford Forest . Following

4400-429: The killing of piglets and other groups of swine, the methods are the same.) They also have a range of environmental impacts, such as denitrification of soil and erosion. Outdoor pig farming may also have welfare implications, for example, pigs kept outside may get sunburnt and are more susceptible to heat stress than in indoor systems, where air conditioning or similar can be used. Outdoor pig farming may also increase

4480-588: The largest raising hundreds of thousands. Farming pigs outdoors poses problems, but the small scale of family farming made it possible to manage these problems. In particular, hogs suffer 'heat stress' in high temperatures and have no sweat glands to naturally cool themselves. To cool themselves, hogs need access to water or a 'wallow', which is an area of mud. Without access to water or mud, pigs must wallow in their own excrement. Normally, pigs avoid their own excrement; pigs do not defecate just anywhere in their pen–they use one corner of it for their 'toilet'. Ideally,

4560-623: The latter are associated with time delays and a potential need for additional veterinary assistance. Extra-label use of anesthetics and analgesics, while an option, is not ideal. Knowledge of effectiveness is not as great as it is for drugs approved for particular species and purposes. Extra-label use can also discourage research and development necessary to approve drugs for specific purposes. The environmental impacts of pig farming include problems posed to drinking water and algal bloom events. Intensive piggeries are generally large warehouse-like buildings or barns with little exposure to sunlight or

4640-882: The local areas; team of scientists from the US Agricultural Research Service and the US Department of the Environment has examined and noted that within wastewater lagoons in North and South Carolina, there are a host of genes involved in the process of turning ammonia into nitrogen. One case study, conducted by Environmental Health Perspectives , sought to prove that malodor and pollutant concentrations from swine operations are associated with stress, altered mood, and increased blood pressure. For two weeks, adult volunteers living near swine operations in North Carolina sat outside for ten minutes twice

4720-530: The manure. Once the pigs drop their manure, a screening device can be used to separate the solid particles from the liquids. A filtration process can be even more effective with removing extra nitrogen and phosphorus that is still remaining. A filter cloth can catch any remaining particles with a pore size less than an inch. Applying this method can greatly reduce organic matters that come from manure which end up in near-by waterways causing pollution and eutrophication. In The Simpsons Movie , Homer Simpson dumps

4800-426: The outdoors. Most pigs are officially entitled to less than one square meter of space each. Indoor pig systems allow many more pigs to be monitored than historical methods, ensuring lowered cost, and increased productivity. Buildings are ventilated and their temperature regulated. Most domestic pig varieties are susceptible to sunburn and heat stress, and all pigs lack sweat glands and cannot cool themselves. Pigs have

4880-415: The piglets to feed from their mother, the sow, while preventing her from moving around, crushing her children, and reducing aggression. The crates are so small that the pigs cannot turn around. Artificial insemination is much more common than natural mating, as it allows up to 30-40 female pigs to be impregnated from a single boar. Workers collect the semen by masturbating the boars, then insert it into

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4960-464: The pigs. Another method to reduce the effect on the environment is to switch to other breeds of pig. The enviropig is a genetically modified type of pig with the capability to digest plant phosphorus more efficiently than ordinary pigs, though the enviropig program ended in 2012 and did not reach commercial distribution. Nutrient-rich runoff from CAFO's can contribute to Algal blooms in rivers, lakes and seas. The 2009 harmful algal bloom event off

5040-402: The pollutants within their lagoons. These regulations also make it more costly to clean up these wastes and prevent other consequential harms, without actually assisting farms in shouldering these costs, making it difficult for them to actually act on these regulations. Ag-gag laws have made it even more difficult for farms to be held accountable for their actions, and for communities to have

5120-539: The population of swine was estimated around 9-10 million. Each of those hogs produces eight times the feces as a human, causing a crucial need for regulation and maintenance for that waste. Regulation and laws could not keep up with the rapid explosion of the hog farming and spread of CAFOs in the early 2000s, which has caused severe harm and health impacts over time. Furthermore, agencies with jurisdiction over CAFOs are typically environmental or natural resource state-run agencies, as opposed to local health departments. This

5200-412: The potential to exacerbate animal abuse on these large scale farms and CAFOs, as well as threaten community health, social justice, and consumer health by restricting organizations and individuals from sharing pertinent information about the food supply. The EPA does require that operations with qualified number of pigs must demonstrate that there is no runoff from their farm, in order for them to acquire

5280-566: The reason for the lack of increase in disease outbreaks in North Carolina despite an increase in pig population by a factor of four in the years leading up to 1998. Australia is home to one of the largest pork industries in the world with farms across Australia collectively containing over 300,000 pigs but there are high levels of water pollution. While clean drinking water is essential to the growth and development of pigs, high levels of hard minerals and water-borne pathogens have been found in many of Australia's pig farms. Poor water management poses

5360-623: The sow has ample space can be just as effective as crates in preventing piglet mortality. Some crates may also be designed with cost-effectiveness or efficiency in mind and therefore be smaller. Authoritative industry data indicate that moving from sow stalls to group housing added 2 pence to the cost of producing 1 kg. of pigmeat. Many English fattening pigs are kept in barren conditions and are routinely tail docked. Since 2003 EU legislation has required pigs to be given environmental enrichment and has banned routine tail docking. However, 80% of UK pigs are tail docked. In 2015, use of sow crates

5440-414: The sows via a raised catheter known as a pork stork. Boars are still physically used to excite the females prior to insemination, but are prevented from actually mating. When confirmed pregnant, sows are moved to farrowing crates, with litter, and will spend their time in gestation crates from before farrowing until weaning. Injections with a high availability iron solution often are given, as sow's milk

5520-581: The state seemed to know what to do with the pig waste, which was a huge issue considering that there are nearly as many pigs as people. Nearly two decades later when Hurricane Florence hit the coast of North Carolina in 2018, hog waste remained a major concern. According to the NC Pork Council, 98% of hog lagoons experienced minimal impact. The NC Department of Environmental Quality identified six hog farms with anaerobic lagoons that suffered structural damage and 28 farms that had lagoons overflow due to

5600-468: The surrounding areas of such farms complain that the industrially concentrated fecal matter creates an unbearable odor of a different magnitude than typical farm manure. Charlotte Savage, a resident who lives on a property separated from the Smithfield farm by an 80-foot path of forest, reported seeing her husband Julian faint at one point due to the smell, and that their house was also once surrounded by

5680-492: The surrounding environment. Many countries have introduced laws to regulate treatment of intensively farmed pigs. However, there is no legal definition for free-range pigs, so retailers can label pork products as free-range without having to adhere to any standards or guidelines. Only 3% of UK pigs spend their entire lives outdoors. As of 2016, The European Union legislation has required that pigs be given environmental enrichment, specifically they must have permanent access to

5760-478: The total UK pig population. Because of this, the vast majority of the pork products sold in the UK come from intensive farms. There were around 50,000 pig farms in Australia in the 1960s. Today, there are fewer than 1,400, and yet the total number of pigs bred and slaughtered for food has increased. As of 2015, 49 farms housed 60% of the country's total pig population. Intensive pig farming adversely affects

5840-877: The use of intensive piggeries has led to market rationalization and concentration. The New York Times reported that keeping pigs and other animals in "unnaturally overcrowded" environments poses considerable health risks for workers, neighbors, and consumers. Contaminants from animal wastes can enter the environment through pathways such as through leakage of poorly constructed manure lagoons or during major precipitation events resulting in either overflow of lagoons and runoff from recent applications of waste to farm fields, or atmospheric deposition followed by dry or wet fallout. Runoff can leach through permeable soils to vulnerable aquifers that tap ground water sources for human consumption. Runoff of manure can also find its way into surface water such as lakes, streams, and ponds. An example of weather induced runoff having been recently reported in

5920-483: The very young, the elderly, pregnant women, and immunocompromised individuals. Dermal contact may cause skin, eye, or ear infections. Drinking water exposures to pathogens could occur in vulnerable private wells. At Varkensproefcentrum Sterksel in the Netherlands, a pig farm has been created that reuses its waste streams. CO 2 and ammonia from the pig manure are reused to grow algae which in turn are used to feed

6000-568: The wake of Hurricane Matthew . Many contaminants are present in livestock wastes, including nutrients, pathogens, veterinary pharmaceuticals and naturally excreted hormones. Improper disposal of animal carcasses and abandoned livestock facilities can also contribute to water quality problems in surrounding areas of CAFOs. Exposure to waterborne contaminants can result from both recreational use of affected surface water and from ingestion of drinking water derived from either contaminated surface water or ground water. High-Risk populations are generally

6080-443: The water table located just below the surface, infecting the groundwater that nearby communities drink. It has been estimated that 35,000 miles of river across over 20 states has been contaminated by manure leakage. Some of the causes for the environmental problems are inadequate sewage treatment and lack of developing technologies. Many farms lack adequate wastewater treatment systems, which release untreated wastewater to release into

6160-456: The watershed the farm is located within, if the water from these lagoons leaches out into the soil and trickles down into the water table beneath. Unlike human sewage, which is always treated with chemical and mechanical filtration, the waste from these lagoons is untreated when it is released back to the environment. Spills are the most common contributor to pollution, but regardless of spills, toxic nutrients like nitrates and ammonia can seep into

6240-578: The world's largest producers of pigs ( US , China , and Mexico ) use gestation crates. The European Union has banned the use of gestation crates after the fourth week of pregnancy. Intensive pig farmers often cut off tails, testes or teeth of pigs without anaesthetic. Although combined use of an anesthetic and analgesic appears to be the most effective method for controlling pain associated with surgical castration, regulatory requirements and cost remain obstacles to practical application. Use of pharmaceuticals can burden producers with direct and indirect costs;

6320-455: Was made illegal on New Zealand pig farms. Common criticism of intensive piggeries is that they represent a corporatization of the traditional rural lifestyle. Critics feel the rise of intensive piggeries has largely replaced family farming. In large part, this is because intensive piggeries are more economical than outdoor systems, pen systems, or the sty . In many pork-producing countries (e.g., United States , Canada , Australia , Denmark )

6400-407: Was possibly related to a system introduced in 2006, which rewards "the rushed loading of animals onto vehicles", as well as a sharp increase in uneducated Eastern European farm workers unaware of Danish laws. Gestation crates were sometimes used on some Danish farms to restrict the movement of sows during pregnancy, as documented by British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver in a television programme for

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