Pig farm discharges nearly 6,000 tons of untreated waste, officials say

The director admitted to ordering employees to pump untreated pig manure into the environment, easing the burden on the large-scale farm spanning over 20 hectares.

On 24/4, authorities discovered a large-scale environmental violation at the NewHope Thanh Hoa Services and Livestock Company Limited farm in Thach Quang commune. An inspection of wastewater treatment area D revealed a pipe directly discharging untreated wastewater and pig manure into a 7,300 square meter plot of land behind the treatment system. Investigations confirmed the area contained approximately 8,544 cubic meters of waste, equivalent to nearly 5,9 million kilograms.

On 10/5, the Economic Police Department of Thanh Hoa Provincial Police announced the prosecution and temporary detention of Huang Qi Lei, 43, director of NewHope Thanh Hoa, and Le Van Quoc, 37, a resident of Ngoc Lien commune. Huang, originally from Shandong province, China, and Quoc face charges of causing environmental pollution under Article 235 of the Penal Code.

The NewHope Thanh Hoa farm, spanning approximately 109 hectares with a livestock area over 20 hectares, generates a substantial volume of wastewater and livestock waste daily. Huang Qi Lei admitted that the farm's wastewater treatment system had recently deteriorated, failing to meet its operational capacity. Consequently, he instructed employees to pump untreated manure water directly from an emergency pond and the treatment system into the environment.

Investigators allege the defendants exploited a remote area of hills and ponds, far from residential zones, to illegally pump and collect waste. This action aimed to reduce the burden on the farm's official environmental treatment system.

Investigators taking testimony from Huang Qi Lei (right). *Photo: Lam Son*

Ha Thi Thuc Huyen, 31, from Cam Thuy commune, also faces the same charges but was released on bail and prohibited from leaving her residence because she is caring for a young child. Case files indicate that between 2023 and 2024, Huang Qi Lei tasked Ha Thi Thuc Huyen, who managed wastewater treatment areas D and H, with overseeing the waste discharge. In 2025, after Huyen commenced maternity leave, this responsibility was transferred to Le Van Quoc.