What does "pig breeding prohibition zone" mean? Pig breeding prohibition zones will be designated in 2017
For pig farmers, the term "pig breeding prohibition zone" in 2017 should not be unfamiliar to them, so what does "pig breeding prohibition zone" mean? What is the basis for designating pig breeding prohibition zones in 2017?
What does "pig breeding prohibition zone" mean? From a legal concept, “prohibition zone” refers to an area where the construction of breeding farms and breeding communities is prohibited, that is, an area where the construction of breeding sites reaching the breeding scale set by the provincial people's government or above is prohibited. The Hubei Provincial People's Government has determined the province's large-scale breeding standards as: pigs ≥500 head (annual slaughter), dairy cattle ≥100 head (inventory), beef cattle ≥50 head (annual slaughter), egg poultry ≥5000 birds (annual inventory), meat poultry ≥10000 birds (annual slaughter). For farmers below this scale, the aim is not to prohibit their breeding activities, but to guide them in doing a good job of preventing and controlling breeding pollution.
In addition, the “Technical Specifications for the Division of Livestock and Poultry Breeding Areas in Hubei Province (Trial)” stipulates that within prohibition zones, livestock and poultry breeding farms that are retained with the approval of the local people's government due to teaching, scientific research, tourism and other special needs and that have improved pollution prevention and control engineering measures for livestock and poultry breeding are not subject to closure, relocation or conversion. This provision actually opens a crack for large-scale breeding farms that fully achieve clean breeding and green development.
“Restricted breeding zone”≠“Reduced breeding zone”
The “restricted breeding zone” is an area within a certain region where, in combination with the regional environmental capacity, the issue of pollutant discharge from livestock and poultry breeding is limited. The restricted breeding zone is not a restriction on the amount of livestock and poultry breeding, but a restriction on the total amount of pollutants discharged from livestock and poultry breeding.
Within restricted breeding zones, large-scale livestock and poultry breeding farms (communities) must achieve full resource utilization of waste or meet the urban domestic sewage discharge standard, that is, COD below 150mg/L and ammonia nitrogen below 40mg/L. In other words, as long as pollution prevention and control in breeding can be done well and no pollution is caused to the environment, the breeding amount within restricted breeding zones is not limited. For breeding farms (communities) within restricted breeding zones that cannot do a good job of pollution treatment, the local people's government at or above the county level shall order closure, relocation or conversion within a time limit.
“Suitable breeding zone”≠“Free breeding zone”
Carrying out breeding activities in suitable breeding zones should also be based on the regional environmental carrying capacity, with reasonable planning and layout of livestock and poultry breeding activities, to achieve circular comprehensive utilization of waste or meet the national “Discharge Standard of Pollutants for Livestock and Poultry Breeding” (that is, COD below 400mg/L and ammonia nitrogen below 80mg/L). The difference between suitable breeding zones and restricted breeding zones lies in the different discharge standards; the discharge requirements in restricted breeding zones are stricter. Suitable breeding zones likewise cannot have breeding environmental pollution problems.
Returning manure to fields≠Discharging pollutants into the environment
Many places have doubts about the return-to-field utilization of livestock and poultry manure, liquid manure slurry, biogas residue, biogas slurry and so on, and upon seeing liquid manure, biogas slurry and the like returned to fields, they regard it as “discharging pollutants into fields”, an act of polluting the environment. In fact, there is an essential difference between the return-to-field utilization of manure and the discharge of pollutants into the environment.
Discharging pollutants is the act of discharging into the environment products that have no use value in the current production stage and will not enter the next production unit for disposal, which only increases the environmental pollution load and brings no economic value-added. As long as the return-to-field utilization of manure and the like complies with the relevant provisions of the “Regulations on the Prevention and Control of Pollution from Large-Scale Livestock and Poultry Breeding”, achieves harmlessness and meets the needs of land absorption and utilization, it will not cause pollution; instead, it will provide nutrients for soil and plants and improve the efficiency of crop production units.
The “Regulations on the Prevention and Control of Pollution from Large-Scale Livestock and Poultry Breeding”, which came into effect on January 1, 2014, is the country's first regulatory document specifically targeting the prevention and control of pollution from livestock and poultry breeding. It clearly states that animal husbandry development plans should comprehensively consider environmental carrying capacity and the requirements for preventing and controlling pollution from livestock and poultry breeding, rationally lay out and scientifically determine the varieties, scale and total amount of livestock and poultry breeding. The “Regulations” clarify the standards for dividing prohibition zones, the applicable objects (livestock and poultry breeding farms, breeding communities), and incentive and punishment measures.
From 2014 to 2015, the State Council successively promulgated the “Environmental Protection Law”, the “Water Ten Plan” and others, clearly requiring that the site selection, construction and management of livestock and poultry breeding farms, breeding communities, fixed-point slaughter enterprises and so on comply with relevant laws and regulations.
Starting in 2016, the State Council successively issued the “Soil Ten Plan”, the “Technical Guidelines for the Designation of Prohibition Zones for Livestock and Poultry Breeding” and the “13th Five-Year Plan for Ecological and Environmental Protection”, requiring clear and reasonable determination of the layout and scale of livestock and poultry breeding and strengthened prevention and control of pollution from livestock and poultry breeding. It requires that after the designation of prohibition zones is completed, before the end of 2017, all regions shall lawfully close or relocate livestock and poultry breeding farms (communities) and specialized breeding households within prohibition zones.
Which areas will be designated as livestock and poultry “prohibition zones”?
1. Drinking water source protection areas
2. Nature reserves
3. Scenic and historic areas
4. Urban residential areas and cultural, educational and scientific research areas
5. Other areas where the construction of breeding farms is prohibited as provided by laws and regulations
Environmental protection policies have been introduced intensively, and the environmental protection pressure on the breeding industry has also continued to increase. Since the beginning of this year, the scope of prohibition zone designation across the country has continued to expand, and the designated areas have gradually shifted from the initial southern water network areas to inland, western and northern areas. As of now, from Shaanxi in the west to Liaoning in the north, more than 19 provinces have designated prohibition zones. In the southern water network areas, more than half of the pig farm demolitions within prohibition zones have been completed, and next year will still be a year of relatively concentrated prohibition zone designation and closure and demolition of breeding farms within prohibition zones in various places, as well as the final deadline for the demolition of breeding farms within prohibition zones. Affected by this, the production capacity of the live pig market may continue to decline.
Pig prices soar, environmental protection lands, demolition on one side and construction on the other. On one side are small-scale free-range households passively eliminated in a bumper year; on the other side are large-scale enterprises expanding at high cost at a time of transformation. The live pig breeding industry is ushering in an unprecedented major reshuffle, with mixed sorrow and joy, pain and happiness, and this is also an inevitable stage of industrial development. As free-range households further withdraw, large-scale breeding accelerates to fill their vacancy, and in the future the market pattern of the live pig breeding industry will mainly manifest as competition among large-scale breeding enterprises.