LIFE Third Countries 2003

LIFE Third Countries 2003

Project Title:

GUIDELINES TO THE CYPRUS COMPETENT AUTHORITIES FOR POLICY FORMULATION FOR SUSTAINABLE

MANAGEMENT OF PIG FARMING WASTES IN COMPLIANCE WITH EU PRACTICE

Acronym:

PigWasteMan

(LIFE03 TCY/CY/000021)

Deliverable 4.1:

A A A s s s s s s e e e s s s s s s m m m e e e n n n t t t R R R e e e p p p o o o r r r t t t o o o n n n P P P i i i g g g F F F a a a r r r m m m i i i n n n g g g i i i n n n C C C y y y p p p r r r u u u s s s S Su S u ub b bm m m i it i t tt t te e ed d d: : : 2 2 24 4 4/ / /0 0 04 4 4/ / /2 2 20 0 00 0 07 7 7

Agricultural Research Institute P. Nicolaides National Technical and Associates University of Athens

Center of Excellence, Cyprus

BIOSCAN A/S, Environment Service DENMARK

T

C

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS……… 2

LIST OF FIGURES……… 2

LIST OF PICTURES……….. 2

1. SUMMARY... 3

2. INTRODUCTION... 4

3. FARM STRUCTURE... 4

4. PIG FARMING PRACTICES... 6

4.1 Waste Management ... 6

4.2 Fodder Feed Mixing and Distribution ... 9

4.3 Energy Sources, Heating and Cooling ... 9

5. ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS... 10

6. INSTITUTIONAL SET-UP... 12

7. PIG FARMERS PERSPECTIVE... 14

8. CONCLUSION... 14

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

IPPC: Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control

EAC: Electricity Authority of Cyprus

EEA: European Environment Agency

EU: European Union

MANRE: Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment

NVZ: Nitrate Vulnerable Zones

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Distribution of Piggery Farms per District

Figure 2: Number of Pig Farms per Number of Sows

Figure 3: National Specifications for Evaporation and Storage Reservoirs

Figure 4: Piggeries with installed Mechanical Separators

LIST OF PICTURES

Picture 1: Earth Banked Lagoon

Picture 2: Mechanical Shovel Installed in a Canal

Picture 3: Mechanical Separator

Picture 4: Trench for Burying Dead Animals

Picture 5: Common Watering System

1. S

During the last three decades, farm animal production in Cyprus has doubled. Currently (2004), there are 126 pig farms with a total number of pigs of 490000 (50980 sows) contributing annually to about 1.5 million m³ of waste. 60% of the farms housing about 35000 sows (~70% of total sows) lie within two high density pig farm regions, intensifying the associated environmental problems.

The most common waste management technique used is the collection of waste through canals into earth lagoons where it is stored and/or further pumped as fodder crop irrigation water. Dried manure is collected and let to dry before used as soil conditioner or fertilizer. About a third of the farms have installed mechanical separators. Lately, only a very small number of farms have installed more advance treatment techniques.

Most of the farms possess a mill and a mixer for their feed, while the most common watering system used is the nipple drinker. Automated, manual and combined feeding systems are equally found in pig farms. Almost all farms are connected to the national power grid while the remaining use generators. Gas-heated water pipe networks are utilized for heating in most farms, while sprayed water and air coolers are mostly used for cooling the animals.

The main environmental problems that arise from pig farming are associated with the vast production of piggery manure combined with limited land resources, the selection of suitable manure disposal methods, the risk of pollution of surface water and groundwater, the groundwater resources exhaustion and distress, the atmospheric polluting emissions and the odour and other nuisance problems. Furthermore there is a manure handling problem as the water and the fodder used result to of high salinity, nitrate and boron concentrations in the manure and water pollution is identified arising from the spreading of manure on land. In high pig farm density areas more of which reside close to vulnerable aquifers the environmental problems appear magnified.

The Environment Service and the Department of Agriculture, both under the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment, are the two main responsible authorities, the first through regulating emissions and permits and the second more as an advisory body.

Pig farmers have a rather small political lobby, and currently argue that are heavily influenced due to the country’s accession in the EU, since subsidies are cut off and legal requirements are very strict.

2. I

During the 1980s, farm animal production in Cyprus roughly doubled as a result of subsidies, strict import regulations, and government-sponsored research that improved both the quality of farm animal and its management. Since then, livestock production has been growing mainly due to the increased demand for pork meat, the heavily subsidized fodder and the introduction of automated feeding systems and other technological advances, which made livestock production an easier and more profitable operation. The volume of pork and poultry meat production has increased 47% and 39%

respectively since 1992, while milk production has declined. In Cyprus pork and poultry production far exceed beef production. While the consumption of beef declined by 40%, pork consumption increased by 37% in the period 1992 to 1999.

This intensive rearing of pigs though, has created some serious environmental problems which have to be dealt with, such as:

• The vast production of piggery manure

• Disposal methods of the manure since it cannot be used directly in agriculture due to its high salinity, and its high concentrations in nitrogen and boron

• Pollution of surface water and groundwater

• Groundwater resources exhaustion and distress as over-pumping has also increased salinity levels

• Atmospheric polluting emissions

• Odour and other nuisance problems

3. F

S

The total number of pig farms in 2004 in Cyprus added up to 126. The total number of pig farms in Nicosia area is 64, in Larnaca area 41, in Limassol area 13, in Paphos area 4 and in the Ammochostos area 4. Ninety nine (99) farmers have applied for a Waste Disposal Permit, of which currently only 8 were granted while the remaining applications are pending for approval. The 27 piggeries which have not yet applied for a permit are 12 in Nicosia, 6 in Larnaca, 6 in Limassol, 2 in Paphos and one in Ammochostos.

51%

33%

10%

3% 3%

Nicosia Larnaca Limassol Paphos Ammochostos

Figure 1: Distribution of Piggery Farms per District

As per the Pig Industry Sector Census of 2002, the total number of animals is 490000 of which 50980 are sows. From the 126 pig farms only 17 are considered as small farms (less than 100 sows). The number of farms that fall under the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) EU Directive and relevant local legislation is 46 with a total number of sows more than 33000. Nine of these are considered as the biggest farms, which house more than 1000 sows, with the largest housing 1700 sows. The total annual quantity of swine wastes comes up to 1.5 million cubic meters.

17 44

19 15

14

5 4 3 5

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

Number of Pig Farms

<100 101-300 301-399 400-500 501-700 701-900 901-1100 1101- 1300

>1300

Number of Sows

Figure 2: Number of Pig Farms per Number of Sows

4. P

F

P

4.1 Waste Management

The most common method of waste management is to collect the wastes from the pig houses through mechanical shovels installed in canals and to route the manure into earth banked lagoons (Picture 1) where it is either stored there until the wastewater evaporates or it is further pumped and used for irrigation of fodder crops. In some farms the dried manure, after the evaporation phase (Figure 3), is collected and transferred to concrete platforms and let to dry before applying it to fields as either a soil conditioner or fertilizer.

Picture 1: Earth banked Lagoon

Evaporation Reservoirs

Storage Reservoirs

1.2 m 40 cm

40 cm

50 cm

20 cm 30 cm

Figure 3: National Specifications for Evaporation and Storage Reservoirs

Mechanical cleaning systems, such is the mechanical shovels (Picture 2) or vacuum cleaning, are found in 66% of the pig farms, while only 13% are fully manually cleaning their pig farms. The remaining farms have partly installed mechanical systems and they simultaneously manually clean some of the compartments in their farms.

Picture 2: Mechanical Shovel Installed in a Canal

Forty six pig farms have installed mechanical separators (Picture 3) and separate the solids from the liquid wastes. The solids are then let to compost and are then disposed on land, while the liquid wastes are transferred to the lagoons. Lately, only a very small number of farms have begun to install advance treatment techniques.

Picture 3: Mechanical Separator

Piggeries with Installed Mechanical Separators

30

12

2 1 1

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Nicosia Larnaca Limassol Paphos Ammochostos

Number of Piggeries

Total Number of Piggeries Piggeries with Separators

Figure 4: Piggeries with installed mechanical separators

Dead animals are usually buried in pits (63%) or trenches (12%) (Picture 4). Some farmers (22%) uncontrollably burn or dispose them, while the rest use two or more of the above methods for handling their dead animals.

Picture 4: Trench for Burying Dead Animals

4.2 Fodder Feed Mixing and Distribution

Most of the pig farms (86%) possess a mill and a mixer for their feed. A 26% of the farms have an automated feeding system, while 20% manually feed the animals. The remaining has a combined feeding system.

The most common watering system used is the nipple drinker, Picture 5. By pressing the nipple with its nose, the pig can make water run into its mouth but most of the water is wasted. The vast majority of pig farmers (86%) utilize groundwater resources through private boreholes for satisfying entirely their water demands. The remaining farms use a combination of both private boreholes and the public water supply networks.

Picture 5: Common Watering System

4.3 Energy Sources, Heating and Cooling

Almost all pig farms are connected with the grid of the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC). The EAC is the exclusive energy source for 65% of the pig farms, while a 20%

has also an emergency generator on site. A 14% uses an electrical generator to meet their demands, while the surplus energy is transferred to EAC’s Power Network. Two farms, apparently very small, do not use any electrical energy.

For heating purposes, the main source of energy utilized is gas. Eighty seven pig farms use gas for heating water into piped networks, while 14 use cylindered gas heaters.

Remarkably, only five pig farms have central heating for the entire farm. One piggery in the Nicosia area utilizes entirely electricity for heating requirements. Seventeen pig

farms utilize both gas and electricity for heating, and only two farms do not have heating installations.

The most common method for cooling the animals, especially during the summer, is by the use of water. Specifically, 46 pig farms use a spraying system to cool the animals, 60 farms use a combination of water spraying and air coolers, 8 farms have roof insulation, one has air conditioning, and 11 have no means of cooling the animals of which 8 are in the Nicosia area.

5. E

C

The environmental problems that arise for pig farming become even more intense especially in some areas where the farm population is very dense. It is worth noting that 76 pig farms (60% of the total) that house roughly about 35000 sows (70% of total sow population) lie within eight municipalities (Orounta, Aradippou, Kato Moni, Meniko, Paliometocho, Monagroulli, Akaki and Tersefanou). Five of the above municipalities (Orounta, Kato Moni, Meniko, Paliometocho and Akaki), which lie in the western Measoria, 25 km west of Nicosia and cover an area of 200 km² host 45% of the total pig population. The Aradippou municipality, 7 km northwest of the city of Larnaca, hosts a total of 28 pig farms within a 20 km² area. Pig farm densities of these levels can be found only in certain regions of Europe, mainly in Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands.

There is a great concern for these areas where a number of large farms are concentrated in certain municipalities as there is the problem of insufficient land for disposal of their wastes as a soil conditioner or as a fertilizer. In addition, there is the problem of high salinity and boron concentrations in the manure, as a result of the water and the fodder used. Moreover these dense regions are adjacent to urban areas and interurban roadways, which are affected by the malodour and other nuisances.

The main environmental problems related with pig farming in Cyprus are associated with water pollution arising from the spreading of manure from intensive pig farms on land. This is a far more important issue than the use of fertilisers. This problem is made worse by the fact that many intensive pig farms are situated close to vulnerable aquifers.

Farms have also resulted in other environmental problems such as conflicts with housing development.

The spreading of pig manure results in three water pollution problems:

• salt contamination (due to high levels in the manure);

• nitrate pollution;

• boron pollution.

Salt contamination:

The salt contamination problem is considered to be almost as significant as the nitrate problem. Groundwater is relatively slow to recover from pollution ingress. In Cyprus it is estimated that recovery can take between 10-20 years, although some specific aquifers may take longer or shorter periods of time than this.

Nitrate pollution:

The designation of nitrate vulnerable zones (NVZ) and the waters affected by nitrate pollution has been completed and the relevant Order was signed by the Minister. An Order for the action programmes for the NVZs has also been approved by the Minister.

Nitrate pollution in groundwater is a major concern, especially in regions of agricultural activity, given that costs of treating contaminated water are extremely high.

Boron pollution:

In Cyprus, the restriction on water availability for irrigation has led farmers to seek alternative water sources, such as private boreholes or other marginal water quality resources. Farmers use these if not for direct watering of the pigs, for cleaning purposes.

However, these waters have often high concentrations of boron, depending on the area where the borehole is and its geological characteristics, and which end up in the wastewater produced from the pig farms.

Other main environmental problems connected with pig farming in Cyprus are associated with the management of the produced wastes. Manure management, both treatment and disposal is a great concern, mainly due to:

• the location of the pig farms which are close to urban areas, streams and brooks, water wells and boreholes etc.

• the establishment of large pig farms which consequently produce large quantities of wastes

• the dense concentration of pig farms within some municipalities

• the lack of adequate land resources for proper manure disposal as per the Code of Good Agricultural Practice

• the preference and the perception of farmers to use chemical fertilizers due to lower costs and easier application methods rather than manure which will also create odour problems and other nuisances

• the non-existence of treatment facilities in the farms, or existence of non- effective treatment facilities

• the use of improper and pervious earth banked lagoons for waste disposal, and

• the use of water and feed with high concentrations of salinity and boron.

6. I

S

-U

The agricultural sector in Cyprus can be divided into two sub-sectors, crop production and livestock production. These contribute 68% and 22% respectively to the value of the sector as a whole.

Unlike many European Member States, the responsibility for environmental and agricultural policies in Cyprus is vested within the same Ministry – the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment (MANRE). MANRE is composed of a number of departments, including Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Agricultural Research Institute, Geology, Fisheries, Forestry, Water Development and the Meteorological Service.

MANRE is responsible for the management and sustainable use of natural resources as well as being the coordinating Ministry for the protection of the island's environment.

Strategic environmental decisions are taken by the Council of Ministers, which includes the Environment Council - an advisory body chaired by the Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment and the Environment Committee, chaired by the Director General of MANRE.

The departments in MANRE have specified roles and integration between them is variable. The Agricultural Research Institute, for example, does not only undertake studies on improving production, it also undertakes studies on environmental interactions with agriculture, e.g. on soils and water use.

The Environment Service operates under MANRE and is the coordinating agency for government programmes for the protection of the environment. It advises on environmental policy and is mandated to ensure the implementation of environmental policies. The Environment Service also has the responsibility for collation and provision of environmental information to other Ministries, the public and international bodies such as the EEA, for which it acts as the National Focal Point for Cyprus. Currently the Environment Service is producing Cyprus' first state of environment report. Only air quality issues are dealt with outside MANRE and air quality is not of primary importance in terms of the impact of agriculture on the environment in Cyprus.

A Code of Good Farming Practice has been prepared which contains recommendations on the use of fertilisers, pesticides and animal waste. MANRE is also looking towards the implementation of the Water Framework Directive as a means to tackle sources such as intensive pig farms in achieving water protection.

Although there is significant input of phosphorus through fertilisers and animal waste this does not result in a problem for water quality. The typical Cypriot soils absorb phosphates readily, reducing leaching to watercourses. Even in areas where potatoes are farmed (which have one of the highest phosphorus demands of any crop) the clay soils bind excess phosphate. Experience in Member States has shown that any soil can reach capacity in terms of phosphate loading. However, it seems that this has yet to occur in Cyprus.

Sewage sludge is not used in agriculture. However, the 1991 Water Pollution Control Law already establishes contamination limits for its use in spreading and a Code of Good Agricultural Practice on the use of sewage sludge has recently been prepared.

Work by the European Investment Bank is currently examining the potential for the use of sewage sludge and, therefore, it is likely that it will become an agricultural resource in the future.

7. P

F

P

Pig farmers complain that their livelihoods are at stake following the island’s EU accession, arguing that this resulted in animal feed prices trebling while the cost of pork is going down. This happened as the pig feed subsidies had to be removed after the accession of Cyprus in the EU. The farmers say that the government is doing nothing to help alleviate their problems and many fear that they will be forced to close down their pig farms in the near future.

After EU accession and the liberalisation of prices pig farmers say that animal feed has tripled in price and yet price of live pork has reduced due to overproduction. The farmers also point out that although their costs have soared, consumers’ pork purchases remained the same and that imported pork is now in fact cheaper.

Furthermore, the pig farmers’ legal requirements are now much more and have become much stricter, and entail costs, since now they have to comply with the Cyprus environmental policy and legislation which is harmonized with the EU. Thus, all environmental requirements such as IPPC, animal welfare, protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources etc, which are now enforced in Cyprus, have to be met by the pig farmers. These abrupt changes in the pig farming industry have naturally caused a lot of insecurities and a great concern to the pig farmers.

8. C

Clearly, the pig farming sector of Cyprus is in transit to a new era since the island’s accession in the EU. Waste management and other in-house techniques need to be upgraded in order to meet new legal requirements and environmental performance standards. Most probably, the sector to achieve sustainability levels will have to face recession in the next few years, but the benefits of a safer public health, cleaner environment and a broader EU competitive market are incomparable.

The environmental problems associated with pig farms are very well known, and along with the strong institutional set up already established all endeavours should focus on providing the technical and economical means to pig farmers in order to smoothly cruise through this transition period and achieve the anticipated level of performance.