"Nearly 600 residents of Eastern North Carolina have notified Smithfield Foods that they plan to file lawsuits charging that stench, flies and pollution from the world’s largest pork producer have deprived them of the use and enjoyment of their property."

"The 588 complaints, known as 'farm nuisance disputes,' were filed in the Wake County Courthouse on Wednesday. The filings complain about the storage of hog waste in lagoons and the spraying of liquid manure on adjoining land.

The complaints were filed as the North Carolina General Assembly contemplates changes in the law governing agricultural and forestry nuisance complaints. The state House and Senate have each passed bills tweaking the way farm nuisance complaints are handled. The Senate version, however, contains a clause requiring complainants who lose in court to pay the legal costs incurred by the farmer who defends a suit."

Joseph Neff reports for the Raleight News & Observer July 7, 2013. [2]