Waterkeeper Alliance and North Carolina Riverkeepers Launch “The True Cost of Industrial Meat Production” Environmental Justice Video Campaign - Waterkeeper

Waterkeeper Alliance and North Carolina Riverkeepers Launch “The True Cost of Industrial Meat Production” Environmental Justice Video Campaign

By: Waterkeeper Alliance

Clean Water Defense | Pure Farms, Pure Waters | Gulf | South Atlantic | Environmental Justice | Industrial Animal Agriculture
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Series captures environmental injustices perpetrated by the pork industry against North Carolina’s most vulnerable populations

NEW YORK, NY — Waterkeeper Alliance and thirteen North Carolina Riverkeeper organizations have launched a new environmental justice video campaign that captures the struggle of community members living with the impacts of industrial farm pollution. Titled The True Cost of Industrial Meat Production, the campaign aims to raise awareness of environmental injustices being perpetrated against North Carolina’s most vulnerable populations and features powerful, first-hand accounts of community members, esteemed scientific experts, and local people on the ground. This campaign shows the devastating impacts to public health, quality of life, and local waterways caused by industrial animal agriculture.

The campaign is comprised of nine short videos, designed specifically for viewing on social media:

    • “The True Cost of Industrial Meat Production” — An overview of what is happening in North Carolina, where industrial animal production has taken the place of family farms.
    • “Wasting Away” — Highlights the problem of industrial animal waste and how the pork industry is not being held accountable to dispose of it correctly.
    • “Belly Up” — How waste generated by industrial meat production is decimating North Carolina’s waterways and in turn, killing its fish and ecosystems.
    • “Birthright” — Community members whose families have lived on their properties for generations talk about the heritage of their land and how it has been overtaken by industrial agriculture and animal waste.
    • “Prisoners” — Residents discuss how they have become prisoners in their own homes due to the impacts of pollution from industrial animal production, which make it nearly impossible for them to enjoy their property.
    • “Mislabeled” — How the pork industry deceives consumers with its marketing tactics and labeling of its products.
    • “Bullied” — Duplin County resident Elsie Herring talks about how she has been intimidated and threatened by the pork industry to remain silent about the injustices she and her family faces.
    • “Silenced” — The pork industry intimidates by bullying and seeking to silence the people most affected by the impacts of its pollution.
    • “The Value of Land” — The pork industry’s refusal to dispose of its waste in a regulated and more sustainable manner has decimated people’s property values, making them unable to move.

This video campaign also expands on the recent landmark report and GIS initiative by Waterkeeper Alliance, North Carolina Riverkeeper organizations and Environmental Working Group that shows the location and waste outputs of more than 6,500 swine, cattle and poultry operations throughout North Carolina.