National & World Ag News Headlines Smithfield Foods Subsidiary Hit with $11 Million Verdict USAgNet - 03/08/2010 A Missouri jury has awarded $11 million to 15 people who complained of foul odors emanating from a nearby hog farm owned by a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods Inc. "These corporations have chosen to invade traditional family farming communities and construct industrial operations that simply fail to respect the community and the land," said Stephen A. Weiss, a New York attorney who represented the families. The factory farm, owned by Premium Standard Farms, is in Berlin, Mo. It produces about 200,000 hogs a year. The odors kept some neighbors from leaving their homes and were "so offensive that they defied description," Weiss said. The jury Thursday awarded most of the plaintiffs $825,000 each. In 2006, six people were awarded $4.5 million in a similar case involving another Premium Standard farm in Missouri. Premium Standard said in a statement that it would appeal the latest verdict. "The court gave the jury the impossible task of sorting through claims by 15 different individuals from seven different families in different locations, with each claim raising a set of distinctive issues," the statement said. "While the jury tried its best, it was inevitable that this 'gang trial' would result in a 'gang verdict.' " After the verdict, "We have serious concerns whether we will ever make any future investments in the state of Missouri," Premium Standard said. "It threatens the viability of the Missouri farm economy when a farm that has been granted a permit to operate by the state and is in compliance with the permit and state and federal regulations can be held liable for such damages." Copyright © 2010 - USAgNet.com. All Rights Reserved.