Reuters – More than 20 Missouri hog farms have reported an increase in emergency manure releases since U.S. pork producer Smithfield Foods took them over in 2006, an environmental advocacy group says, citing equipment failures and improper maintenance that raise concerns about the impact on air and water quality.
The group, Socially Responsible Agriculture Project (SRAP), reviewed 30 years of Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) records on 21 hog farms now owned by Smithfield, the nation’s top pork company, which bought them in 2006 from Premium Standard Farms (PSF).
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Citing the state data, the group found that more than 4.6 million gallons of manure had been released into emergency containment structures or spilled into waterways in the past 15 years — an increase of 70 per cent from the previous 15 years during PSF’s ownership.
State regulators verified SRAP’s data, but said the vast majority of the releases from the Smithfield operations were contained on site and never reached nearby waterways.
The causes of the manure releases include clogged pipes, equipment failure and lack of proper maintenance, according to the records contained in the report, which DNR verified are accurate.
