Page 29 of articles about environment

Pig industry organizations from around the world are in talks about starting a coordinated international campaign to keep the environmental impact of pork production as low as possible.

The Agrarian Research Institute of the University of Wageningen (LEI) has carried out a study on the estimation of ammonia emissions in 2020. According to data obtained, emissions will reach 100 million kilograms, which, in comparison with 2007, represents a decrease of 20 million kilograms. These figures do not include the use of chemical fertilizers in the greenhouse horticulture sector and the gardening sector, nor co-fermentation.

A Council for Agricultural Science and Technology study on North American air quality has been released, focusing on the topic as it relates to the areas of swine, poultry, dairy and beef farming.

Between 2008 and 2010, SAGARPA has economically supported the installation of 324 bio-digesters on swine and dairy farms, as well as slaughterhouses, resulting in production savings and generating electricity equivalent to 69 giga watts per year, thus preventing the emission of over 1,4 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

The pig industry is setting out how it intends to achieve reductions in its environmental impact in a Roadmap just launched by BPEX and partners. The document sets out targets for the reduction of key environmental burdens over the next 10 years.

The Ministry of Economics, Agriculture and Innovation asked LEI to investigate the macro-economic effects of reduced-phosphorous feed. This request was translated into research into the influence of reduced phosphorous feed on the price of pig feeds, the influence on the manure surplus in kilos of phosphate, the effect on the necessary processing capacity of pig manure and the costs savings that this achieves. In addition, the research looked into the risks perceived by the animal feed industry, both for the industry itself and for pig farmers.

The Technological Platform of Sustainable Agriculture presented last week the “Early Indicators of Sustainability in Agriculture and Livestock Farming”.

The Dutch pig-farming sector is operating within a competitive European market, and production costs play an important role in the sector’s competitiveness. At €1.41 per kg of slaughter weight in 2009, the Netherlands’ production costs are fairly average compared with those in rival countries within Europe. However, Dutch pig farmers pay a relatively high price for the disposal of manure: 5% of the production costs.

The Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) today launched its Opinion on mutilations and environmental enrichment in piglets and growing pigs. The Opinion advises Government about the impact on young pigs’ welfare of the various mutilations that they may be subject to during their lives. The procedures include tail docking, tooth clipping, identification and castration.

Manitoba Pork is proud to present a strong vision for long-term sustainability on behalf of the province’s pork producers. The plan, called Embracing a Sustainable Future, is to be shared with all Manitobans.

In a unanimous decision issued today, a federal court ruled that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency cannot require livestock operations to obtain Clean Water Act (CWA) permits unless and until they have a discharge of manure into a waterway of the United States.