In order to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, Smithfield Foods set a target on Thursday of equipping 90 percent of its hog-finishing facilities in three states with manure-to-energy digesters to capture biogas for eventual sale as renewable natural gas. Smithfield, the largest U.S. hog producer, said it would convert open manure lagoons to covered lagoons or construct covered digesters on hog farms as part of its goal of reducing its overall greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2025.
“Today’s announcement is the culmination of decades spent studying and perfecting the commercial viability of manure-to-energy projects,” said Smithfield chief executive Kenneth Sullivan, adding that “through partnerships with a broad coalition of stakeholders, including family farmers, government, energy partners, and other constituents, we’re confident we can bring about sustainable, revolutionary progress in our effort to minimize our environmental footprint.”
Earlier this year, FERN wrote an in-depth story on Smithfield’s climate program, focusing on its efforts to reduce emissions in feed production. The story highlighted that the bulk of Smithfield’s emissions arose from its manure, rather than its feed, accounting for 32 percent of the company’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2017.
The project offers a sharp contrast to three verdicts by federal juries over the summer ruling that Smithfield and its contract farmers were nuisances to their neighbors because of the smell, noise, and insects associated with industrial hog farms. In reaction, legislators in North Carolina expanded that state’s “right to farm” law to restrict the ability of neighbors to bring such suits in the future.
“EDF and Smithfield don’t agree on everything, but we’ve found common ground on sustainability goals,” said Fred Krupp, head of the Environmental Defense Fund. “This commitment marks a welcome turning point for the industry.” The EDF said it would work with Smithfield and other groups to shut down hog operations in floodplains and “improve quality-of-life and environmental outcomes.” Early this month, North Carolina offered to buy out hog farms on the 100-year floodplain.
The manure-to-energy project would operate in North Carolina, Missouri, and Utah, and focus on hog-finishing facilities. Smithfield already has a pilot, called Optima KV, in North Carolina that uses anaerobic digesters at five contract farms to capture and clean biogas, which is then transported to a central facility for processing into natural gas. The company said it would expand the project across eastern North Carolina so that within 10 years, 90 percent of its company-owned and contract hog-finishing facilities would be able to produce renewable natural gas.
“In addition to converting manure to energy, the covered lagoon digesters will mitigate potential issues associated with severe rain events, such as hurricanes,” said Smithfield. Hurricane Florence’s heavy rains damaged six lagoons in North Carolina and, at their worst, flooded 23 lagoons and caused 31 to overflow.
In Missouri, Smithfield is part of a joint venture that converts manure at company-owned farms into natural gas. The joint venture will be expanded to cover all company-owned finishing farms in the state. In Utah, Smithfield is building 26 hog farms equipped with covered lagoons designed for anaerobic digestion, which the company says is “the first time Smithfield is building U.S. hog farms equipped with renewable energy technology.”