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11 Million dollar verdict against hog operation

The largest monetary award against a hog farm in an odor nuisance case has been awarded in the state of Missouri.

A Jackson County jury last week awarded an 11 million dollar verdict against Premium Standard Farms hog producers, a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods. The odor lawsuit was filed on behalf of residents living near the farming operation in northern Missouri. The case was filed in 2002 by seven households.

Premium Standard Farms issued a statement following the verdict last Thursday that they are disappointed with the verdict and have grounds to appeal. They also say they will seriously consider not making future investments in the state of Missouri – that the verdict “threatens the viability of the Missouri farm economy when a farm has been granted a permit to operate by the state” and is in compliance with state and federal regulations. Premium Standard Farms says there is a gaping hole in Missouri law allowing such a thing to happen and the legislature should move to correct it.

  • So many of the articles on this lawsuit would leave you to believe that Gentry county is right outside of KC. It is at least 75 miles to the north. Jackson County is a KC suburb. Makes you wonder about why it was tried where it was?

  • Hey – I love hogs – family hog farms are fine – small and large – but – jimminy cricket – some of these mega outfits are just plain insane! H-lls bells, some years back I had the misfortune of going thru an area where some neighboring farms were overwhelmed by nasty horrific oders coming from that mega hog plant. (it was so bad you could not hang your laundry out on the line) I never gave the smell of manure (or even skunks for that matter) a second thought until I got hit with that smell. I almost think if I had a CNG tractor (compressed natural gas) I could run it for free off of the manure gas in the air there!

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