8 Disgusting Facts About Hog Poop

It’s not just the stink: Those who live near factory hog farms report headaches, coughing, wheezing, and diarrhea.


Manure isn’t supposed to smell good. But people living near hog farms complain of unbearable stenches that affect their health and essentially keep them prisoners in their own homes. The Environmental Protection Agency does not regulate manure odor, and neither do most states. In the May/June 2014 issue of Mother Jones, Bridget Huber writes about two attorneys bringing odor nuisance suits against Big Pork—and winning their hog stink-affected clients at least $32 million to date.

So just how much poop are we talking about here? And what’s it really like to be neighbors with a factory hog farm? A few facts to keep in mind:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read more Mother Jones coverage of mysterious exploding poop foam.

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Russian bots are impersonating us. Trump and his allies want to silence us. AI wants to (and does!) steal our content. The list goes on. But with 50 years of experience, we know we were built for this moment: We’re ready to keep diving deep and uncovering the truth, then getting that to you right here, completely accessible and never behind a paywall.

While our work is free to read, watch, and listen to online, it’s incredibly costly to make. Court documents, travel, research: It all adds up. Because we’re a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on reader support to fund our investigations. Will you stand with us in these extraordinary times, as headlines clamour for our attention and disinformation is rampant? We can’t get the truth out without you.

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