Editing Intensive pig farming (section)

===North Carolina===
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 operation]]s (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 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 [[Pig|sows]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.engormix.com/MA-pig-industry/management/articles/swine-production-global-perspective-t336/124-p0.htm|title=Swine production: a global perspective|website=En.engormix.com|date=7 February 2007 |access-date=28 July 2017}}</ref>

Originally, Murphy Family Farms [[Horizontal integration|horizontally integrated]] the North Carolina system. They laid the groundwork for the industry to be [[Vertical integration|vertically integrated]]. Today{{when|date=July 2017}} the hog industry in North Carolina is led by [[Smithfield Foods]], which has expanded into both nationwide and international production.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Ladd, Anthony |author2=Edwards, Bob |title=Corporate Swine, Capitalist Pigs: A Decade of Environmental Injustice in North Carolina |journal=Social Justice |volume=29 |issue=3 |pages=26–46 |year=2002 }}</ref>

The [[environmental justice]] problems in North Carolina's agroindustrialization of swine production seem to stem from 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.<ref>{{cite book |author=Wimberley, Ronald C., Morris, Libbly V. |title=The Southern Black Belt : A National Perspective |publisher=University of Kentucky |location=Lexington |year=1997 }}</ref>

This swine production and pollution that accompanies factory hogging is concentrated in the parts of North Carolina that have the highest disease rates, the least access to medical care, and the greatest need for positive education and economic development.<ref>Raine J. Environmental Justice Issues of the North Carolina Swine Industry [Masters thesis]. Durham, NC:Duke University, Nicholas School of the Environment, 1998.</ref> 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 [[Permeability (earth sciences)|impermeable]] liner, but some do not work properly. This can cause environmental damage, as seen in 1995 when a lagoon burst in North Carolina. This lagoon released 25 million gallons of noxious [[sludge]] into North Carolina's [[New River (eastern North Carolina)|New River]] and killed approximately eight to ten million fish.<ref>Orlando, Laura. McFarms Go Wild, Dollars and Sense, July/August 1998, cited in Scully, Matthew. Dominion, St. Martin's Griffin, p. 257.</ref>

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 [[Salmonellosis|samonellosis]], [[giardiasis]], [[Chlamydia infection|Chlamydia]], [[meningitis]], [[cryptosporidiosis]], [[worm]]s, and [[influenza]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Donham K. |chapter=The impact of industrial swine production on human health |veditors=Thu K, Durrenberger E |title=Pigs, Profits, and Rural Communities |publisher=State University of New York Press |location=Albany, NY |year=1998 |pages=73–83 }}</ref>