Yen Thanh focuses on treating pollution in livestock farming

Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh at the pig farm in Tan Thanh commune (Yen Thanh). Photo: Van Truong

Applying science, reducing pollution

A typical example is the breeding sow farm of Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh in Tan Thanh commune (Yen Thanh)is one of the large-scale farms associated with environmental protection, bringing high economic efficiency. Mr. Thanh said: Determining that we want to develop sustainable livestock farming, environmental protection and disease prevention are always our top priorities. The farm raises over 3,000 breeding sows, supplying and serving over 6,000 breeding pigs every month for the entire Yen Thanh district and neighboring districts.

Indeed, Mr. Thanh's farm is scientifically planned, the pigsties are all built airy, with ventilation, cooling and heating systems for pigs. The farm also has enough equipment for all kinds of disinfectants and spray pumps for pigs; feeding pigs according to a quantitative system to reduce labor. In particular, the farm also focuses on investing billions of dong to build a wastewater treatment system using modern technology, all of which are automatically controlled, a biogas tank system, with 4 settling ponds covered with trees. Wastewater after treatment is reused for livestock farming, ensuring the environment in livestock farming.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh next to the modern wastewater treatment system. Photo: Van Truong.

A representative of Tan Thanh Commune People's Committee said: Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh's pig farm is a model that is evaluated by the leaders of the Central, province and district as a typical model in livestock development. This farm creates jobs for nearly 100 local workers with a stable income. In addition to being good at raising livestock, Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh also supplies pig breeds and guides effective pig raising techniques for many other models.

Up to now, the whole Tan Thanh commune has over 300 households raising livestock and poultry. Previously, most people kept traditional farming habits, building barns right on their family land or letting them roam freely. Many families, for economic benefits, forgot their responsibility to those around them, allowing livestock waste to impact and seriously pollute the living environment.

Biogas tank system for environmental treatment in pig farming in Tan Thanh commune. Photo: Van Truong.

To overcome this situation, Tan Thanh commune has chosen the solution of building a concentrated livestock area far from residential areas to protect the environment. Currently, more than 10 households have been encouraged to invest in pig and cow farms in remote areas. In particular, the above models all invest in treatment technology with a biogas tank system with a settling pond...

In Van Thanh commune, there are over 350 households raising livestock and poultry with many large-scale livestock farm models built in areas far from residential areas, investing in environmental treatment systems. For example, the cow farm of Mr. Nguyen Van Hoanh's family in Van Thanh commune (Yen Thanh) has been invested with billions of VND, raising over 20 cows, located far away from residential areas.

Sedimentation pond system for environmental treatment at a pig farm in Tan Thanh commune. Photo: Van Truong.

To ensure the environment in livestock farming, Mr. Hoanh used microbial preparations as biological bedding to treat waste in cattle farming with materials including: rice husks, sawdust, peanut shells, coconut fiber, corn cobs... with a thickness of 30 - 40 cm; used EM preparations to spray evenly on the materials; covered the surface with canvas or nylon for 1 week to let the bedding ferment microorganisms. After 6 months of use, the bedding can be replaced and used as fertilizer for melon gardens and other crops.

It is known that before using biological bedding, Mr. Hoanh's family had to spend about 3-4 hours every day to spray and collect cow waste, but the barn still had a bad smell. But after using bedding, it only takes 1 hour every day to level and turn the waste on the surface of the bedding to help clean the bad smell and dry the barn.

Need a synchronized solution

Mr. Le Van Hong - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Yen Thanh district added: Yen Thanh is a district that strongly develops livestock farming, the whole district currently has 52 farms, over 500 livestock farms, not to mention tens of thousands of small-scale livestock farming households. In recent years, environmental treatment work in livestock farming in Yen Thanh has gradually changed.

To thoroughly solve the environmental pollution situation from livestock households, Yen Thanh district focuses on implementing solutions: Encouraging livestock households to apply environmental treatment technology, in which, many households use biogas technology, build biogas tanks and EM biological products; building biogas tanks to treat livestock waste is a highly effective measure; treatment with EM biological products has been and is being implemented well in small and medium-sized livestock farms.

Currently, the district has 2 pig farming models of Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh in Tien Thanh and Tan Thanh communes, which have invested in modern environmental treatment in livestock farming, scientifically designed barns suitable for the growth and development conditions of livestock; have sanitation systems, epidemic prevention and waste treatment processes to ensure environmental hygiene such as using biogas pit systems, aeration tanks...

Cattle farming model in Bao Thanh commune. Photo: Van Truong.

Strictly manage livestock planning, link livestock planning with environmental protection planning; resolutely not implement new livestock projects that do not comply with planning; encourage the development of large-scale concentrated livestock farming to manage biosafety, food safety andenvironmental protection; review the type of livestock farming that is outsourced to foreign countries (or have appropriate tax forms) to reinvest in pollution treatment and environmental protection.

Along with that, it is necessary to strengthen inspection and examination of livestock facilities in implementing regulations on environmental protection and strictly handle violations of environmental protection laws.

In addition to building biogas tanks and EM biological products in livestock farming, Yen Thanh district is encouraging models of livestock waste treatment, moving towards clean agriculture by developing the VAC economic model. Along with that, closely linking cultivation with livestock farming, both limits environmental pollution and uses less chemical fertilizers. This is also one of the easy-to-do, low-cost but highly economically efficient models.

Farmers have no more pigs to sell.

Instead of selling pigs, Mr. Pham Van Thinh (55 years old, in Ha Nam) bought a herd of pigs weighing about 90 kg each to fatten, hoping to recover a little after the epidemic.

Van Truong