Murphy Brown, a large-scale hog operation near Mt Erie doing business as Smithfield Hog Production, has been fined $80,000 by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for multiple violations of state water pollution laws.
The fine stems from an incident in April 2021, when hog manure applied to land at the facility resulted in a dry weather discharge of livestock waste that entered two nearby creeks. The Illinois EPA labeled the event as serious, noting that it involved an unpermitted discharge of manure into state waters, causing significant water pollution.
In a stipulated settlement signed on March 24th, 2025, Smithfield admitted to five violations, including water pollution, creating a pollution hazard, offensive conditions, and agriculture-related pollution offenses. Under the terms of the settlement, the company must pay the fine no later than Monday, July 7th.
The Mt. Erie facility operates a farrow-to-wean hog farm with a capacity of 1,900 swine weighing 55 pounds or more. Additionally, five adjacent facilities operated by Smithfield have a combined capacity of approximately 16,000 head of swine of similar weight.
Smithfield Hog Production is owned by a Chinese company and has faced increasing scrutiny over environmental concerns in its U.S.-based operations.
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