Pig and poultry
Scotland's pig industry has historically
been concentrated in the north and east of Scotland, mainly
because of its close links with cereal production and relatively
dry climate. Scottish herds total around 450,000
pigs.
There are a large variety of animal husbandry systems used by
the pig industry, including free range and intensive methods,
producing high quality meat and breeding stock for both domestic
and overseas markets.
The poultry industry in Scotland contributes aboout 3.5% of
the agricultural output. Scotland’s poultry flock
comprises of approximately 14 million birds housed in a large
number of units which are widely dispersed throughout the country.
Scotland's egg industry accounts for approximately 1.4%
of Scotland's agricultural output.
There are a number of issues relevant to Pig & Poultry
farming, among them:
Poaching and soil erosion on grassland
Poaching can be a problem when livestock are wintered on
grassland, particularly around gateways, feeding areas and watering
points. This can lead to risks of soil erosion and compaction.
Poaching can occur where the land is 'cut-up'
through livestock moving or tramping on wet soils. This
removes the vegetative cover, leaving the soil open to the elements
and prone to being washed away via surface water run-off.
Soil erosion can not only remove fertile top soil and clog up
drains etc., but can also lead to water pollution if the sediment
is washed into watercourses. Guidance is offered to farmers on how
to prevent soil erosion and compaction, in the 4
point plan 
, Farm Soils
Plan and the
PEPFAA code .
Livestock slurry and farmyard manure
In order to avoid poaching and damage to grassland, as well as
to improve productivity, many farmers house their livestock
over the winter months. The manure or slurry produced is collected
and stored prior to spreading to land as a fertiliser. Livestock
manures and slurries offer a valuable source of plant nutrients,
including nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
Taking account of the nutrients applied to land as slurry or
manure, and the levels of nutrients already available in the soil,
then comparing them with the nutrient needs of the crop, can often
result in significant savings on inorganic fertiliser use. Manures
can also help increase the organic matter content of soils thereby
improving soil structure and fertility.
While slurries can be beneficial for plant growth and soil
nutrient levels they are relatively high in terms of Biochemical
Oxygen Demand (BOD) and can pose significant water pollution
risks. Pollution risks can occur at all stages of handling
livestock manures and slurries including collection, storage,
transportation and land application.
In order to minimise pollution risks from steadings where
livestock are housed, any slurry that is produced is required to be
collected and contained. Further information is available from
the Control of Pollution (Silage, Slurry and Agricultural Fuel
Oil) (Scotland) Regulations 2003, SSAFO.
Spreading slurries to land can pose a significant pollution risk
if the spreading takes place close to watercourses or when the
ground is frozen or water logged. The rate and method of
application to land is also very important. There tend to be fewer
problems with solid farm yard manures from beef units. Guidance is
available to farmers on how to reduce the risks of causing
pollution from storing and handling livestock manures and slurries,
and can be found in the
PEPFAA code and
the 4
point plan .
The Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations
(Scotland) 2000
The
Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) Scotland
Regulations introduced an integrated approach to controlling
pollution from a specified list of sources. The main aim is to
protect the whole environment by measures designed to prevent
or, where that is not practicable, reduce emissions to the
air, water or land. The Regulations define emissions
for activities with the largest pollution potential ("Part A"
activities). These include the direct or indirect release of
substances, vibration, heat or noise from individual or diffuse
sources in an installation into the air, water or land.
PPC is concerned with regulating certain specified activities
carried out at installations. Typically, an installation will
comprise one or more activities listed by the Regulations, plus any
directly associated activities with the potential to cause
pollution taking place on the same site. The Operator of a new or
existing PPC installation must obtain a permit from SEPA before
beginning to operate.
When determining a Permit application, SEPA shall take account
of the general principles that:
- all the appropriate preventative measures are taken against
pollution - in particular through the application of the
best techniques available to the operator
- no significant pollution is caused
- any waste produced is recovered or, where it is technically and
economically impossible, it is disposed of while avoiding or
reducing any impact on the environment
- energy is used efficiently
- the necessary measures are taken to prevent environmental
accidents and limit their consequences
- upon definitive cessation of activities in the installation,
the necessary measures should be taken to avoid any pollution risk
and to return the installation to a state where ground
contamination is not significantly worse than it was when the
permit was granted
A PPC permit once granted will place legally binding
conditions on the operation of the installation to ensure that
the principles listed above are achieved.
PPC applies directly to the intensive rearing of pigs and
chickens in installations exceeding specified size
thresholds. Further information is available at: PPC: Intensive Agriculture