Smithfield Foods has been ordered to pay more than $50 million to compensate for odours and other nuisances associated with its hog farms in North Carolina.
A jury awarded 10 neighbours of a 15,000-hog farm $750,000 in damages and $50 million in punitive damages.
But state law limits payouts per complainant to $250,000 in damages and $75,000 in compensation.
Smithfield said it intends to appeal the award.
On the other hand, Smithfield won an award during this week’s annual meeting of the North American Meat Institute.
The Edward C. Jones Community Service Award goes to a company which makes significant contributions to the sustainability of local communities by providing hunger relief, education and veterans support, and through other initiatives that address the specific needs of the communities in which it operates.
Smithfield has been plagued by manure complaints for decades.
When large-scale hog farming began in the area, Smithfield donated millions to researchers to seek a way to reduce manure odours that annoy neighbours.
Complaints about manure odours have also prompted Ontario to fund research, but not much has been accomplished on the issue in Canada, the U.S. or Europe.
