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Small Farmers Adapting to Global Markets
Sustainable Agriculture Development Project Phase II
Animal Health Initiative (CCAHI)
Livestock Health Extension Services Project (LHESP)
Integrated Dairy Cattle Breeding
PSRP--Livestock Waste Management
PSRP-LIVESTOCK WASTE MANAGEMENT PROJECT
Intensive livestock production is a relatively new phenomenon in China. Since the reform of the agricultural system in the late 1970s and the early 1980s, poultry and livestock have mainly been produced by individual families. Although some state farms still exist and have significant numbers of animals and birds, most of the growth in intensive livestock production has taken place in the specialized family and corporate sector. The intensification of production has occurred particularly with poultry (chickens, ducks and geese) and with hogs, beef cattle and dairy cattle. Sheep and goats continue to be produced extensively. With the growth of intensive livestock production there is increasing concern over the associated problems of beneficial and safe disposal of the resulting animal wastes.
Until now all animal excrement (and much human excrement as well), has been composted and distributed on agricultural land as opportunities present themselves in the cropping cycle. This has provided a relatively safe means of disposal and contributed significantly to the maintenance of soil fertility. Manure has quite rightly been seen as a valuable resource which has contributed significantly to the food supply. It has also been widely used for the production of biogas. However, the rapid growth of intensive livestock and poultry production now results in a situation not previously experienced in China and poses something of an environmental threat. In particular, the inadequate management of manure from these new operations threatens to impact seriously on surface and groundwater resources. This is exacerbated by the absence of effective legislation covering intensive production facilities and/or poor enforcement of existing regulations.
With this situation in mind, SEPA has sought to review other country’s experiences with respect to the management of manure from intensive livestock, from both a technical and regulatory standpoint. This will be used as the basis for increasing the administration’s capacity to provide advice and assistance to producers as well as to formulate effective regulations. In this context SEPA took two important initiatives last year: (i) it nominated a director to take responsibility for issues related to the disposal of animal wastes; and (ii) it has prepared and submitted a proposal to MOFTEC and CIDA for the implementation of this project. The proposal has been accepted by both these agencies.
There is a broad array of technologies available to manage livestock's impact on the environment, provided there is an appropriate policy framework to induce the use of those technologies. However, many of these technologies are not being used, because of inappropriate policies or inadequate awareness of these linkages. Current weak environmental policies favour intensive production of pigs and poultry around the urban areas. As these are open systems, where the waste products can not be used in the production unit, the dramatic growth foreseen will inevitably would lead to excessive nutrient loading of the land around the urban areas. This, in turn, will result in ground water pollution (already a problem, as a result of intensive greenhouse operations), loss of bio-diversity, and gaseous emission causing global warming and acid rain.
It is particularly germane that Canada is participating in this initiative since it has itself experienced a great expansion of the intensive livestock production industry in recent years. This has happened most significantly in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario. As a result, these jurisdictions have developed technical and regulatory tools for ensuring that they can effectively protect water resources. At the same time, they have developed guidelines for the industry that protect the public from the nuisance aspects of manure disposal such as odor, noise, flies, etc. These guidelines also serve to protect the industry from litigation once facilities are established. Many of the issues that have been dealt with during this process, the procedures that have been developed and criteria adopted, are relevant to the Chinese situation. Exposure to these will be particularly useful to the SEPA team.
Added rationale for Canada’s participation in this project comes from CIDA’s very active participation in the development of the livestock industry in China through the Lean Swine Project and the Dairy Development Project. These projects have been successful and have contributed to significantly increasing the supply of high quality pork and dairy products in China and thus to improved nutrition of the population. The unfortunate side effect is the production of greater quantities of manure from the two species involved. By helping to address the issues associated with safe manure handling and disposal, Canada will be helping to counter any negative impacts from these two projects.
Links: Livestock Links
Downloads: Beef Manure Management
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