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As people hoarded meat for their Chinese Lunar New Year feasts in late January， livestock and poultry farms in Feixi County， east China’s Anhui Province， were very busy. However， what occupied them was not increasing production， but preparing for moving and tackling pollution.
Feixi is home to more than 530 livestock and poultry producers. Traditionally， the Chinese Lunar New Year， which fell on January 31 this year， has been a time for them to relax and happily count the money from the surging meat sales that occur in the days leading up to the holiday.
But this year， they were not in the mood for celebration after the release of the county’s zoning plan on large-scale livestock and poultry breeding in November 2013.
According to the plan， Feixi’s 1，960-squarekm land will be divided into zones where livestock and poultry production are permitted， restricted or banned. The plan says that no farms dealing with livestock and poultry production are allowed near the county’s drinking water sources. Even in the zones where such farms are permitted， they will be strictly monitored for their environmental impacts.
Feixi’s Environmental Protection Bureau required that existing farms in banned areas be closed and relocated by the end of 2014， while farms in restricted areas should begin to recycle and reuse waste in order to meet environmental standards by the end of this June. It also said that the environmental condition in permitted zones will be monitored， and permitted zones may be redefined as restricted or banned zones in the case of environmental deterioration.
“The plan takes into consideration both the protection of the environment and the long-term development of the animal farming industry，” said Mao Hongyou， manager of Feixi County Zhengjia Boar Co. Ltd.
The company’s farm occupies an area of about 1 hectare. “The farm has an annual output capacity of more than 20，000 pigs， and produces more than 100 tons of waste daily， including about 100 tons of urine and other waste water，” Mao said.
So far， Zhengjia Co. has invested 3 million yuan （$494，000） in pollution control. It is constructing a waste treatment facility that can handle 200 cubic meters of waste daily. The company also makes organic fertilizer from pig manure and sells it to offset the pollution control costs.
Feixi produced the plan in an effort to implement the State Council’s Regulations on the Prevention and Control of Pollution Caused by Large-scale Breeding of Livestock and Poultry， which went into force on January 1. Yet in the past， due to the lack of necessary legal support and effective policy incentives， a large amount of agricultural waste such as animal manure had not been effectively used， but instead posed environmental hazards to the surrounding water and soil.
Moreover， the regulations state that power grid companies should purchase surplus electricity generated from animal waste as long as the electricity meets the technical standards necessary for it to be fed into the grid. Companies producing methane and biogas from animal waste can also enjoy preferential tax treatment similar to renewable energy producers.
“The regulations encourage the comprehensive utilization of waste， and deems it the fundamental solution to tackling pollution arising from livestock and poultry production，” said Yang Zhengli， a research fellow with the Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
In foreign countries with tough environmental legislation such as Denmark， manure from farms has been collected and used as agricultural fertilizer growing crops.
It is not only waste that can be used， but also animal byproducts， according Karoline Bergendorff， a business development strategist at the Danish company Kopenhagen Fur.“In this way， the entire animal is used，” she said.
While the regulations will promote the improvement of rural environment， it will also raise the threshold to enter the industry. Industry experts believe that after the implementation of the regulations， large-scale animal farms with sound environmental protection facilities will be able to further consolidate their market position.
Feixi is home to more than 530 livestock and poultry producers. Traditionally， the Chinese Lunar New Year， which fell on January 31 this year， has been a time for them to relax and happily count the money from the surging meat sales that occur in the days leading up to the holiday.
But this year， they were not in the mood for celebration after the release of the county’s zoning plan on large-scale livestock and poultry breeding in November 2013.
According to the plan， Feixi’s 1，960-squarekm land will be divided into zones where livestock and poultry production are permitted， restricted or banned. The plan says that no farms dealing with livestock and poultry production are allowed near the county’s drinking water sources. Even in the zones where such farms are permitted， they will be strictly monitored for their environmental impacts.
Feixi’s Environmental Protection Bureau required that existing farms in banned areas be closed and relocated by the end of 2014， while farms in restricted areas should begin to recycle and reuse waste in order to meet environmental standards by the end of this June. It also said that the environmental condition in permitted zones will be monitored， and permitted zones may be redefined as restricted or banned zones in the case of environmental deterioration.
“The plan takes into consideration both the protection of the environment and the long-term development of the animal farming industry，” said Mao Hongyou， manager of Feixi County Zhengjia Boar Co. Ltd.
The company’s farm occupies an area of about 1 hectare. “The farm has an annual output capacity of more than 20，000 pigs， and produces more than 100 tons of waste daily， including about 100 tons of urine and other waste water，” Mao said.
So far， Zhengjia Co. has invested 3 million yuan （$494，000） in pollution control. It is constructing a waste treatment facility that can handle 200 cubic meters of waste daily. The company also makes organic fertilizer from pig manure and sells it to offset the pollution control costs.
Feixi produced the plan in an effort to implement the State Council’s Regulations on the Prevention and Control of Pollution Caused by Large-scale Breeding of Livestock and Poultry， which went into force on January 1. Yet in the past， due to the lack of necessary legal support and effective policy incentives， a large amount of agricultural waste such as animal manure had not been effectively used， but instead posed environmental hazards to the surrounding water and soil.
Moreover， the regulations state that power grid companies should purchase surplus electricity generated from animal waste as long as the electricity meets the technical standards necessary for it to be fed into the grid. Companies producing methane and biogas from animal waste can also enjoy preferential tax treatment similar to renewable energy producers.
“The regulations encourage the comprehensive utilization of waste， and deems it the fundamental solution to tackling pollution arising from livestock and poultry production，” said Yang Zhengli， a research fellow with the Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
In foreign countries with tough environmental legislation such as Denmark， manure from farms has been collected and used as agricultural fertilizer growing crops.
It is not only waste that can be used， but also animal byproducts， according Karoline Bergendorff， a business development strategist at the Danish company Kopenhagen Fur.“In this way， the entire animal is used，” she said.
While the regulations will promote the improvement of rural environment， it will also raise the threshold to enter the industry. Industry experts believe that after the implementation of the regulations， large-scale animal farms with sound environmental protection facilities will be able to further consolidate their market position.
