Author
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Hatfield, Jerry |
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Submitted to: International Pig Veterinary Society (IPVS)
Publication Type: Proceedings Publication Acceptance Date: 6/5/2002 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: The environmental impact of the pig industry has been questioned in the past 10 years by various audiences. These have included environmental groups, environmental agencies, and the public. The question that is often asked is, "How can the impact of pig operations be ruduced or eliminated?" There is no simple answer to that questions and there is a need to fully understand the environmental impacts of current operations before considering what options to be employed. Three natural resource components may be impacted by pig operations; air, surface water, and ground water. Environmental concerns about pig production will continue to be one of the major factors forcing change. Flow of manure from buildings into manure storage, and finally onto the soil, produces different environmental impacts within each phase. There are three different environmental impacts; air, surface water, and ground water from each production component. Within each phase of the production system there are variations in the current pig production methods. The major environmental impact of pig production is air quality from buildings and manure storage and water quality impacts from manure storage and application. The current environmental impact on air, surface and ground water resources serves as a guide to determine where and to what extent changes should be made in production systems. |
