LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas’ governor says the operators of a large hog farm near the Buffalo River are receiving $6.2 million to shut down the facility under a deal reached with the state.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Thursday announced at a meeting of the Arkansas Municipal League that the state had signed an agreement with the operators of C&H Hog Farm, which has been criticized by environmental groups who have warned about the facility’s impact on the Buffalo River watershed since it was permitted several years ago.
Under an agreement with the state, C and H Hog Farm will receive money to remove hog waste from the site at Mount Judea in Newton County where thousands of hogs had been fed.
Hutchinson said the bulk of the money will come from the state, with other funds coming from the Nature Conservancy.
Hutchinson said the farm’s operators never did anything wrong, but the state never should have granted a permit for the facility near the river.
The agreement doesn’t detail any future plans for C and H.
The process of closure is expected to take a few months, according to the governor.
Click here to read the agreement between C and H Hog Farm and the State of Arkansas.
