BREAKING! NC Lawmakers Override Governor’s Veto of “Soy Milk Embargo Bill

Earlier this week, North Carolina governor Roy
Cooper vetoed controversial Senate bill 711, which would have blocked North
Carolinians from filing nuisance lawsuits against polluting hog farms and
created plans to confiscate plant-based products labeled with the term “milk.
Disturbingly, the state’s legislature just voted to override the governor’s
veto, putting factory farm profits ahead of the safety of its most vulnerable
constituents.

The legislation was introduced after a successful lawsuit brought by North
Carolinians against Smithfield Foods, the state’s largest pork producer. The
lawsuit forced the company to pay millions of dollars for the harm it caused to
the state’s environment and the health of North Carolina citizens who are
unfortunate enough to live near noxious hog factory farms. Now that SB 711 has
passed, most North Carolinians will no longer be able to bring nuisance
lawsuits against factory farms.

In his veto statement, the governor said: “North Carolina’s nuisance laws can help
allow generations of families to enjoy their homes and land without fear for
their health and safety. … Giving one industry special treatment at the expense
of its neighbors is unfair. We couldn’t agree more.

The sponsors of this harmful legislation also
aim to stifle plant-based innovation. The law will create the framework for a 12-state
Southern compact to confiscate any soy, almond, or other plant-based products
labeled with the word “milk in those states. Clearly, the industry is
scared of losing market share to animal-free foods as more and more consumers
swap cow’s milk for plant-based milk. Over the past year, for
example, cow’s milk sales declined 5 percent, while plant-based milk sales shot
up 3.1 percent.

The vote to override the governor’s veto is a vote for cruel, unsustainable
factory farming and against a cleaner, healthier food system.

Sadly, North Carolina’s state legislature has a bad habit of collaborating with
factory farmers. In 2015, the state legislature overrode then-governor Pat
McCrory’s veto of an ag-gag
bill, slamming shut the public’s only window into the inner workings
of factory farms.

Mercy For Animals is undeterred and will continue to fight back against the
factory farm lobby. Of course, the most effective way for individuals to reduce
the environmental impact of companies like Smithfield is not to buy their
products and to leave animals off their plates. For information on eating a
more sustainable, healthy vegan diet, visit ChooseVeg.com.