Farmers must read the new environmental regulations for farms in 2026! Attached are response plans for chicken and cattle farming

The year 2026 marks the beginning of the "14th Five-Year Plan" and a crucial juncture in advancing the "dual carbon" goals. Environmental protection standards for livestock farms will undergo a new round of upgrades. From national-level amendments to local detailed regulations, from increased regulatory frequency to adjustments in subsidy directions, every change directly impacts the production and operation of livestock farmers.
This article dissects the core points of the environmental protection standards for livestock farms in 2026 and provides directly implementable response plans for readers' reference.
1. Three core changes in the 2026 environmental protection standards
Compared to the past, the environmental protection standards for livestock farms in 2026 exhibit three major characteristics: stricter standards, tighter supervision, and clearer guidance. Farmers must precisely grasp these points: emission limits are being tightened, and precise control over pollutants is being implemented. The latest revision of the "Emission Standards for Pollutants from Livestock and Poultry Breeding Industry (Second Consultation Draft)" clarifies that the emission limit for ammonia nitrogen is 40mg/L and the limit for total phosphorus is 5mg/L, setting higher requirements for water pollutant emissions from livestock and poultry farms and breeding communities.

Meanwhile, the "Technical Guidelines for Formulating Local Pollution Control Standards for Livestock and Poultry Breeding Industry (Draft for Comments)" (HBZGH [2025] No. 63), issued by the General Office of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment in December 2025, has also included antibiotics, heavy metals, and other substances in the scope of characteristic pollutants for control, achieving full coverage of water, air, and Solid Waste. The extensive mode of "discharging sewage casually and piling manure on the roadside" as before will absolutely not work in 2026.

The Ministry of Ecology and Environment has upgraded the frequency of environmental inspections for large-scale livestock farms from "quarterly inspections" to "monthly random inspections", implemented the "double random, one open" law enforcement model, imposed maximum penalties on acts of illegal and unreported emissions, and established a blacklist system.
More crucially, failing to meet environmental standards will directly affect farming qualifications. For instance, if a hog farm fails to meet fecal treatment standards, its qualification for slaughter inspection and record-filing will be suspended, effectively blocking its sales channels. The direction of subsidies has undergone significant adjustments, with resource utilization becoming a key focus. The central government has completely abolished policies that stimulate production capacity, such as "slaughter volume subsidies" and "new infrastructure subsidies," and has shifted its focus to supporting the resource utilization of feces.
Nowadays, by adopting the "integration of farming and breeding" model and constructing Organic Fertilizer processing or biogas projects, one can receive differentiated subsidies. For instance, each ton of organic fertilizer can earn a subsidy of 50 yuan, while harmless treatment centers can receive a central subsidy of 300 yuan per ton plus local matching funds. This means that environmental protection is no longer a "cost burden", but can actually generate new revenue if done properly.
II. These areas and behaviors are absolutely off-limits
The "Regulations on the Prevention and Control of Pollution from Livestock and Poultry Scale Breeding" (State Council Order No. 643) clearly defines prohibited breeding areas. In 2026, the control of these areas will be stricter across the country. Farmers must verify in advance:

In addition, the following behaviors will bear legal responsibility:

III. Different Solutions to Address Environmental Protection Upgrading
Facing strict new standards, it's better to take the initiative to transform rather than passively cope. Based on practical industry experience and policy guidance, we have compiled low-cost and highly adaptable response plans that can be referenced by farms of different sizes: 01 Source reduction: changing processes to save costs and reduce pollution at the root. Many farmers feel that environmental protection investment is large, but in fact, source reduction can save a lot of money.
For example, by replacing the traditional "water flushing feces" process with "dry feces cleaning + feces leakage plate", one pig can reduce the amount of sewage by 30% per day, which can save tens of thousands of yuan in water bills alone each year.
Meanwhile, using a customized feed with "low protein + probiotics" and reducing the crude protein level of the feed from 18% to 14%-16% can not only reduce nitrogen emissions by 25%, but also lower feed costs, achieving two goals with one action. 02 Fecal treatment: Turning waste into treasure and opening up the resource utilization chain Feces are not a "nuisance", but a "resource". The key is to do a good job in the three steps of "collection, treatment, and utilization": ① Collection: Build rainwater and sewage diversion facilities, with solid feces entering enclosed fecal sheds, and urine and flushing water collected separately to avoid cross-contamination; ② Treatment: The core technology is aerobic membrane fermentation. This technology covers the fermentation material completely with nano-membranes, combined with an intelligent ventilation and temperature control system, which can shorten the fermentation period to 15-20 days, reduce the emission of odor gases such as ammonia and hydrogen sulfide by more than 95%, and achieve a nitrogen retention rate of 70%;
During processing, straw and rice husk are added to adjust the carbon content, thereby adjusting the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio to 25-30:1. The moisture content is controlled at 55%-65%. After being continuously composted at a temperature above 55℃ for 7 days, high-quality organic fertilizer can be produced within 15-20 days;
Liquid feces are sent to the biogas digester for fermentation, and the generated biogas can be used for power generation and cooking; ③ Utilization link: Cooperate with surrounding planting bases to directly return organic fertilizer and biogas slurry to the fields, which not only solves the problem of feces disposal but also reduces the chemical fertilizer cost for farmers, forming a "breeding-planting" circular model.

Relying on this model, a pig farm with a capacity of 10,000 pigs generates 1.2 million kWh of electricity annually and earns an additional 3 million yuan through the sale of organic fertilizer. The 8 million yuan investment in facilities was recouped in just three years.

03 Environmental Protection Breakthroughs in Chicken and Cattle Breeding: Significant differences exist in the fecal characteristics and pollution risks of various breeding varieties, necessitating targeted measures to achieve precise compliance. 1 Exclusive to Chicken Breeding: Focusing on Odor Control and Fecal Drying Chicken manure has a low moisture content but high nitrogen content, which is prone to generating odors. Additionally, the high density of broiler and layer breeding leads to concentrated pollution. The core issue to be addressed is "odor control + rapid resource utilization of feces". ① Source Pollution Control: The "ladder-style cage rearing + scraper fecal cleaning" process is adopted for layer houses, while the "fermentation bed breeding" mode is selected for broiler houses to reduce fecal and urine contact and minimize ammonia production at the source;
Adding yucca schidigera extract or zeolite powder to feed can reduce odor emissions by more than 30%. ② Fecal treatment: Chicken manure has low moisture content and can be directly treated using aerobic membrane fermentation technology without additional moisture adjustment. With a dedicated composting microbial inoculum, the temperature can be regulated to 60-70℃ and the oxygen concentration to 10%-15% through an intelligent system. After 10-15 days, high-protein organic fertilizer (with a nitrogen content of up to 2.5%-3%) suitable for fruit and vegetable cultivation can be produced;
This technology, through its membrane barrier function, can reduce odor emission concentration to less than one-third of the national standard limit, fully complying with the newly added organized odor emission indicators in 2026;
For large-scale laying hen farms, small-scale biogas projects can be constructed to utilize flushing wastewater and a small amount of fecal matter for biogas production, meeting the on-site lighting and heating needs. ③ Waste gas control: The chicken houses are managed in a semi-enclosed manner, equipped with negative pressure ventilation systems and biological filters, which, together with the odor removal effect of aerobic membrane fermentation, provide dual safeguards to ensure that the odor concentration at the farm boundary meets standards. After adopting this plan at a 100,000-laying hen farm, the annual number of odor complaints decreased by 90%, and the annual income from organic fertilizer increased by 1.2 million yuan, with the equipment investment being recovered in just 1.5 years.

Exclusive for cattle breeding: Focusing on feces reduction and recycling. Cattle (especially dairy cows) produce a large amount of feces with high water content, and the breeding cycle is long. The core issue to be addressed is "efficient feces separation + full resource utilization", which also aligns with the current subsidy focus: ① Feces cleaning process: Dairy farms adopt "automated scraper plates + leaky flooring", while beef cattle farms choose "dry feces cleaning + minimal water rinsing" to avoid the surge in sewage volume caused by traditional water rinsing;
The frequency of feces removal is controlled at 2-3 times per day to reduce the odor generated by the fermentation of retained feces. ② Feces disposal: A closed-loop mode of "dry and wet separation - aerobic membrane fermentation - recycling" is adopted. After separation, solid feces are sent to the aerobic membrane fermentation system, where the moisture content is regulated to 40%-50% and the temperature is maintained at around 70℃ for 5-7 days. After 12-15 days, it can be made into cattle bedding material for recycling, saving more than 600,000 yuan in bedding material procurement costs annually;
This technology eliminates the need to build complex fermentation tanks, reducing infrastructure construction by over 40%. In northern winters, fermentation efficiency can be maintained through in-membrane heating, which is not affected by climate;
Liquid feces enter large anaerobic fermentation tanks to produce biogas, which meets the on-site electricity and heating needs. The remaining biogas slurry is stored in oxidation ponds and then transported to surrounding farmland for returning to the field. This forms an ecological chain of "cattle breeding - energy - fertilizer - planting". ③ Compliance guarantee: Dairy farms need to pay special attention to the treatment of milking wastewater. A new pretreatment process of "oil separator + air floatation machine" is added to remove milk fat and suspended solids from the wastewater before it is connected to the conventional wastewater treatment system;
In accordance with the new regulations in 2026, we should improve the ledgers for the use of feed and veterinary drugs to ensure that the content of antibiotics and heavy metals in feces meets the standards. After adopting this plan, a dairy farm with 3,800 cows in Shandong achieved an annual power generation of 500,000 kWh, and the biogas slurry was applied to 2,800 acres of farmland, realizing the full resource utilization of feces. While meeting environmental standards, it significantly reduced operating costs.

IV. Final reminder:
1. Self-inspection and rectification: Conduct a comprehensive inspection of fecal treatment and sewage discharge facilities against the latest emission standards, focusing on whether there are issues such as leakage and direct discharge. Rectification must be completed within one month. 2. Policy alignment: Proactively contact local agricultural and environmental protection departments to inquire about the application process for organic fertilizer subsidies and environmental protection renovation subsidies, and set up a dedicated team to follow up to ensure timely funding. 3. Mode adjustment: Small-scale farms can collaborate with neighboring farmers to jointly build and share harmless treatment facilities, while large-scale farms should expedite the implementation of an integrated "breeding-processing-planting" model to enhance their resilience against risks.
The environmental protection standards for livestock farms in 2026, while seemingly stringent, are actually an opportunity to promote the transformation and upgrading of the industry. Shifting from "passive management" to "active prevention" and from being a "cost center" to a "profit center" is an inevitable trend for the high-quality development of the livestock industry. It is hoped that all livestock farmers can grasp the policy direction, plan for transformation in advance, and not only adhere to the environmental protection red line but also open up new channels for income increase.
If you find it helpful, remember to like, bookmark, and share with your fellow farmers! What problems have you encountered in your environmental protection transformation? Feel free to leave a message and share your experiences in the comment section