How to solve the problem of large-scale livestock and poultry farming manure pollution?

In recent years, the ecological environment problems of large-scale livestock and poultry farms have become more prominent. This article proposes environmental protection suggestions for livestock and poultry farms from three aspects: approval, management, and supervision, for the benefit of readers.
There are many complaints and reports in some places regarding environmental pollution issues in livestock and poultry breeding enterprises or breeding areas, mainly focusing on water pollution caused by livestock and poultry manure, serious odors, and illegal disposal of various waste packaging materials such as feed and antibiotics. As recently exposed by the media, the natural karst cave in Cili County, Zhangjiajie City, Hunan Province was dumped with garbage and polluted underground rivers. The main culprits were three nearby livestock and poultry breeding enterprises.
Improper management of large-scale livestock and poultry farms can easily cause environmental pollution. The daily amount of manure generated by large-scale livestock and poultry farms is relatively large, and currently these farms generally adopt water flushing cleaning, resulting in a large amount of manure generated daily. Due to the high cost of treating these fecal wastewater and the requirement for stable treatment capacity, the investment and operating costs in this area are not a small amount.
Some livestock and poultry farms, based on profit considerations, have resorted to "crooked thinking", operating abnormally or even not operating sewage treatment facilities, and waiting for opportunities to illegally discharge pollutants. Some illegally discharge sewage into rivers, some illegally discharge it underground, and some illegally discharge it into seepage pits, etc. Moreover, some livestock and poultry farms have not built sewage treatment facilities at all, and only find a place to decorate, in order to deceive people. In this regard, it is necessary to strengthen supervision and firmly grasp the key from source approval to daily supervision.
Large scale livestock and poultry farms are generally built in places far away from villages. Although they are relatively remote, due to the large number of livestock and poultry in the pens and the accumulation of manure, if not disposed of in a timely manner, they will produce serious odors. Especially in summer, high temperatures accelerate fermentation, odors spread with the wind, and mosquitoes and flies fly everywhere, often causing unbearable suffering to the surrounding residents. This is also the main reason why large-scale breeding farms are frequently complained about, and it should be taken seriously by governments at all levels and relevant parties. Especially for local governments in breeding counties (townships), it is essential to prioritize the prevention and control of breeding pollution and make comprehensive arrangements in advance.

In terms of approval, the treatment of manure from large-scale livestock and poultry farms should be taken as an important criterion for approval. Any planned large-scale livestock and poultry farm must have a comprehensive and feasible manure disposal plan, otherwise it will not be approved. At the same time, strict control must be exercised over site selection. Any location that is in ecologically sensitive areas, too close to surrounding village areas, or upwind of residential areas will not be approved.
In terms of management, it is necessary to strengthen the promotion of legal knowledge and policy guidance for breeding farms, enhance corporate social responsibility, and effectively protect the legitimate rights and interests of surrounding residents. Guide large-scale livestock and poultry farms to establish and improve a full cycle pollution prevention and control system based on industry characteristics, adopt efficient and reliable manure treatment and transportation facilities, ensure standard emissions and reduce odors. At the same time, we will increase efforts to upgrade and transform, utilize advanced science and technology, effectively turn waste into treasure, and achieve circular utilization. In addition, mechanisms such as self inspection of pollution risks, proactive reporting, and irregular visits to surrounding residents should be established. Once pollution or disturbance problems are found, they should be highly valued, and investigations should be organized immediately. Any existing problems should be rectified and risks and hidden dangers eliminated.
In terms of supervision, regulatory authorities should focus on monitoring the disposal of manure from breeding farms, using methods such as drone patrols for regular monitoring, and hold accountable those who violate laws and regulations in disposing of manure. At the same time, we should fully leverage the supervisory role of residents around the breeding farm, promptly investigate and thoroughly investigate the clues reported and complained by the public, and draw lessons from the problems found and fill in the gaps.