In a significant environmental disaster, Smithfield Foods discharged over 20 million gallons of lagoon waste into North Carolina's New River. This incident is noted as the largest of its type, surpassing the infamous Exxon Valdez spill that occurred six years prior. The scale of the contamination highlighted serious concerns regarding agricultural practices and waste management in the pork industry.

At the time of the spill, Smithfield was already one of the largest pork producers in the United States, ranking seventh. However, just two years later, the company rose to become the largest pork producer in the country, raising questions about the industry's growth and its environmental impact amid such devastating incidents.