Murphy-Brown LLC and the North Carolina Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance have developed a new tool to aid hog producers in protecting the environment. The user-friendly Environmental Management System (EMS) provides an organized approach to identifying and managing vulnerable parts of a swine operation that could adversely affect the environment. Spray irrigation, waste treatment systems, clean-up and feeding all have sensitive areas of operation. Consisting of policies, procedures and practices, the program is designed to ensure that high environmental standards are routinely maintained at all Murphy-Brown swine operations.

Participation in the program is voluntary and the operations who participate and comply exceed the requirements of state regulations. It is available to all producers in the United States free of charge.

"Livestock agriculture has a need to work together to overcome some serious challenges to our industry today," said Don Butler, director of government relations and public affairs for Murphy-Brown. "The reason we decided to make this tool available, free of charge to anyone who wants to use it, is because we are the industry's largest producer and we feel a certain responsibility to lead. Having developed the world's first ISO 14001 certified EMS for a livestock operation and having enjoyed the environmental and business benefits from its use, we are glad to share such a useful tool with our fellow producers."

Murphy-Brown will continue to be a leader in environmental management. Smithfield is proud of Murphy-Brown's accomplishments in this area.

The EMS tool is available online at www.smithfieldfoods.com.