Barbecue is the food of the south,
and North Carolina is no exception. Since pigs were introduced to the state in
the 1500s, residents would cook the pork over a fire and season the meat with
vinegar, salt, red and black pepper, and oyster juice. This would eventually be
known as "North Carolina Barbeque."
However, as time passed and
farming decreased in the state, local pig farmers began to lose their farms due
to commercial hog producing corporations. In the past ten years, the number of
pig farmers in the state has fallen from 23,000 to 8,000, yet the production of
pigs has nearly tripled. North Carolina is now nationally ranked second for
producing hogs. The mass production of pigs is not only harmful to the hogs
that are being confined to small areas and fed food that has been fertilized by
their own excrement’s, but also to the people of the towns and counties that
contain these large corporations. The waste from the hogs is being kept in pits
known as “lagoons.” According to studies done by North Carolina State
University, roughly half of the lagoons are leaking enough of the waste to
contaminate the groundwater. The waste also contains a high concentration of
nitrogen.
Local organizations have arisen in
order to regulate the pork producers in the state, such as the Alliance for
Responsible Swine Industry, the Halifax Environmental Loss Prevention, and
others. Additional help has been contributed through the researchers of North
Carolina State University, the University of North Carolina, and Duke University.
The News and Observer has brought a media perspective to the issue and covered
a thorough investigation on the “pork revolution.” While these organizations,
universities, and media coverage have all helped, much still needs to be done
in order to promote local pig farmers rather than corporate swine.
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