CommentaryPig slurry needs modifications to be a sustainable fertilizer in crop production
Section snippets
Phosphorous for crop production
On 9th of April 2019, Powers et al. (2019) reported that manure, such as pig slurry, may help saving the farming industry with respect to need of phosphorous for crop production. It is an important realization and they did a great and important job with their paper in collecting data and doing their meta-analyses on the growing issue of phosphorous for field production. We deeply acknowledge this and the present comment is therefore not a critic what so ever. However, with this commentary, we
Copper and zinc
Pig slurry contain copper and zinc, which are elements that for a long time has been under suspicion of being co-factors in antibiotic resistance (Zhu et al., 2017). In addition, the two elements are by wildlife biologists and medical doctors, viewed as co-factors in neurological disorders such as chronic wasting disease, Alzheimer and Parkinson's and the environmental loads of these should therefore be reduced (Fitzgerald, 1995; Marx, 2003; Nichols et al., 2016).
The copper used in EU pig feed
Bacteria, spills and air pollution
In some areas, slurry also contains arsenic and pathogens that contaminate drinking water being a vital resource for both animals and humans, leading to adverse biological effects (Grill et al., 2019; Rodríguez-Lado et al., 2013; Sonne et al., 2018). In addition, pig slurry may contain antibiotic resistant bacteria (Zhu et al., 2017), while spills cause oxygen depletion leading to fish death and air pollution with ammonia (Cole et al., 2000). Altogether, it means that pig slurry should be
Legislation
Legislation should ensure that manure does not pose a threat to the environment and human health on both a short and long term. Here, it is important that the economic benefits for farmers and society do not overpower the environmental disadvantages of pig production, but that a sustainable balance is ensured for properly agricultural production for future generations. For example, farm-based biogas plants can help save fossil fuels for heating private homes in the areas where pig production
Changes needed
This intensive pig meat industry has now been ongoing for over four decades due to high demands for meat production with large financial income. However, the procedures need to change to avoid further damage to the environment. Pig production and use of additives should be changed, which will also reduce CO2 emissions and global warming (Macdiarmid and Whybrow, 2019). Biogas plants and biomembranes that reduce ammonia vapors, removes toxic substances and increase the phosphorous recycling
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Cited by (5)
Development of a 3–step sequential extraction method to investigate the fraction and affecting factors of 21 antibiotics in soils
2024, Journal of Hazardous MaterialsHypothetical scenarios estimating and simulating the fate of antibiotics: Implications for antibiotic environmental pollution caused by manure application
2022, Science of the Total EnvironmentCitation Excerpt :Antibiotic concentrations in feces and urine have been reported to range from ng/kg levels to hundreds of mg/kg (Joy et al., 2013; Kumar et al., 2005). In agricultural environments worldwide, manure is used as a substitute for inorganic fertilizers to improve soil fertility and agricultural productivity (Sonne et al., 2019). After manure is applied, the contained antibiotics can enter surrounding soils, surface water and groundwater, through non-point source pollution (Jaimes-Correa et al., 2015).
Spatiotemporal land use change and environmental degradation surrounding CAFOs in Michigan and North Carolina
2021, Science of the Total EnvironmentCitation Excerpt :A previous study of CAFOs in Michigan found that operators were primarily applying manure within regulatory limits, yet were often applying amounts above crop nutrient needs, indicating that manure is treated as a waste product they need to dispose of, rather than as a valuable fertilizer for crops (Long et al., 2018). Most states regulate CAFO manure applications based on environmental risk or nutrient limits based on crop needs, but these inefficient applications likely occur due to high costs associated with manure hauling (Sims et al., 2005; Centner, 2012), lack of markets due to nutrient ratio variability, as well as presence of pathogens, metals, antibiotics and other undesirable qualities (Ribaudo et al., 2003; Keplinger and Hauck, 2006; Liu et al., 2015; Pepper et al., 2019; Sonne et al., 2019). To meet state and federal waste management regulations, CAFO operators must either acquire or rent sufficient land nearby for applications, or transfer or sell manure to nearby farms.
Multimedia mass balance approach to characterizing the transport potential of antibiotics in soil–plant systems following manure application
2020, Journal of Hazardous MaterialsCitation Excerpt :Rapid developments in livestock industries have led to an unprecedented increase in the usage of antibiotics, which has resulted in high concentrations of antibiotics in animal manure (Van Boeckel et al., 2015; Xie et al., 2018). Animal agriculture generates 13 × 1012 kg manure per year globally, and large amounts of manure are commonly used in agricultural fields worldwide as a substitute for inorganic fertilizers to increase soil fertility and agricultural productivity (Udikovic-Kolic et al., 2014; Sonne et al., 2019). Van Boeckel et al. (2015) estimated that the global consumption of antibiotics in agriculture would rise by 67 % from 2010 to 2030.