[Charlotte Observer] North Carolina will place new limits on how and when neighbors of hog farms can sue the agriculture businesses next door.The state legislature gave final approval on Wednesday to a bill that restricts nuisance lawsuits against farms and other livestock and forestry operations. The state House voted 74 to 45 in the morning to override a veto that Gov. Roy Cooper issued on Monday. The Senate voted on Tuesday to reverse the governor's action.
"Overriding this veto and correcting Gov. Cooper’s unwise decision sends the clear message to our family farmers and rural communities that they have a voice in the legislature and that this General Assembly intends to give them the respect they deserve," Sen. Brent Jackson, a Sampson County Republican and farmer, said in a statement. "This was never a partisan issue or about politics, but about doing what is right, and I am glad we had bipartisan support in both chambers as we stand up for our farmers."
The North Carolina Farm Act, or Senate Bill 711, sparked heated debate in the General Assembly. Rep. Billy Richardson, a Fayetteville Democrat and attorney, and Rep. John Blust, a Guilford County Republican and attorney, gave impassioned speeches, urging their fellow lawmakers not to put any more limits on the hog farm neighbors. They said the curbs went against bedrock principles on which this country was built.
Other unrelated swine and donut news from Neptune Township.