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Background and Objectives:
DGH Engineering, Manitoba
Agriculture and Food, and Université Laval conducted a study of the
relationship between various hog operations and surrounding
residents throughout Manitoba during the winter and spring of 2000.
The intention of the study
was to determine and evaluate the concerns of residents with odours
emanating from neighbouring hog production operations. The project
investigated a possible relationship between the level of concern and
the impact of barn design features, varying construction methods, or
operational management practices conducted by producers, as well as
the impact of site and landscape features on the rural resident’s
concerns.
With a better understanding
of construction and operational factors that contribute to the
reduction or elimination of concerns about odour from hog production
operations, it is expected that producers can be better equipped to
design, construct and manage operations in a manner that will
alleviate conflict with their neighbours. This may permit continued
growth of the hog production industry without unduly aggravating the
public and fractionalising the community.
Procedure
and Project Activities:
The study consisted of two surveys. The first surveyed 50 hog
operation to determine detailed information on the operation
characteristics that might impact the odour perception of neighbours.
The hog operators were asked 46 questions that included the legal
and physical characteristics of the operation, manure collection and
storage methods, and manure management practices.
The second survey involved 25 neighbours surrounding each hog
operation. All neighbours within one mile, plus an equal number
from one to two miles, two to three miles, and three to five miles
were randomly selected. The residents were asked a series of questions
designed to measure their perception of hog odours, without creating
any bias and without making them aware of the purpose of the survey.
The two surveys were linked via coding to enable interactive
statistical analysis of the two databases.
Results and Discussion:
Livestock producers are very aware of odour issues and declared
themselves impacted by odour. The manure storage facility
was identified as the main source of odour, which occurred most
frequently in summer. Approximately 40 percent of hog
operations have experimented with additives, however only a few
believe these additives to be effective in controlling odour.
Storage covers have been utilized by 18 percent of operators to
control storage odours.
Swine operations over ten years old were associated with greater odour
impacts, even though these older operations tend to be smaller than
newer ones.
The
majority of neighbours (77 percent) indicated that the odour from hog
operations has not significantly impacted their lifestyles. The
respondents were not required to change their outdoor activities
within the past 12 months. Consistent with this, three quarters
of hog operators have not received a complaint from neighbours.
Conclusion:
The study suggested that the size of a hog operation and the number
of hog operations in the neighbourhood have little effect on the
perception of odour by rural residents. The awareness of the
existence of a swine operation appears to be the strongest stimulus
for rural residents to develop an opinion that swine operations are
an important source of odours. The survey indicated that many
neighbours to hog operations are not aware of the operation's
existence, and are therefore unsure as to the origin of odour.
The neighbours' perceptions of the source of odour appears to be based
more on general opinion than on specific observations. For
example, the neighbour survey indicated that the barn, storage and
spreading were equally responsible for odour, and that most odour was
experienced in summer. Since most spreading occurs in autumn and
involves injection, it is extremely unlikely that spreading is a
significant factor in contributing to odour. Neighbours are generally
not sure about the specific sources of odour.
Treed windbreaks and shelterbelts were commonly associated with the
perception of reduced odours, even though there are no scientific
studies to support this. It is presumed that the out of sight,
out of mind adage applies. Shelterbelts, combined with a
well-maintained site, contribute to the beauty and aesthetics of the
neighbourhood, and, presumably, a perception of less odour.
A number of variables, including ventilation systems; wall, penning
and flooring materials; and indoor manure storage capacity, were
evaluated to determine their impact on odour perception. The
study was unable to demonstrate any significant relationship between
these factors and odour perception.
Communication between a hog operation and neighbours with regard to
practices that are intended to reduce odour emissions could be
important in influencing the odour perception of residents. The study
indicated that actions taken by hog operators are not effective in
changing odour impacts. The majority of residents may simply be
unaware of any actions by hog operators to reduce odours.
Acknowledgements:
The funding contribution by the
Agri-Food Research and Development Initiative (ARDI), as well as the
Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council (MRAC) is gratefully acknowledged.
The applicant also acknowledges the
support of Mr. Gary Plohman of Elite Swine and Dr. Qiang Zhang of the
University of Manitoba for their assistance in planning the study.
The cooperation of all participating hog operations is also
acknowledged. Without the participation of these producers, the study
would not have been possible. Manitoba Agriculture, Manitoba Pork,
and the participating Rural Municipality offices provided assistance
in identifying potential cooperators, which was very much appreciated.
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