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Ag leader: Nuisance suits present serious problem for agriculture

A former president of the National Pork Producers Council says all of agriculture should be concerned about the ag nuisance lawsuits in North Carolina.

Dr. Howard Hill says the impact of those lawsuits could extend beyond the livestock industry.

“It could affect row crop producers, too—people who want to sue you for dust or whatever,” Hill says. “We’ve got to get this stopped or agriculture in the United States is going to be in big trouble.”

Hill was part of a recent roundtable meeting in North Carolina with politicians and other ag leaders, discussing how to best respond to the lawsuits threat. He says strong right-to-farm laws are the best defense.

“I feed confident that we’re going to get more and more attention on this at the state level, and make sure that we’ve got right-to-farm laws that protect from this kind of ridiculous nuisance suit.”

Hill is a veterinarian and pork producer from Cambridge, Iowa. He visited with Brownfield at the Iowa State Fair.

AUDIO: Dr. Howard Hill