Tackling Pig Manure Challenges with Enzymes
Thepigsite.com, March 23rd
Economic analyses show the large potential for phytase in feed to reduce overall manure management costs resulting from environmental regulations, according to Gwendolyn Jones of Danisco Animal Nutrition
Phosphorus-based nutrient management regulations increase the amount of land required to dispose of manure and will have a detrimental effect on pig farm profitability in areas of intensive animal production. Decreasing the phosphorus content of manure through nutrition with phytase is a powerful and cost-effective approach to reduce the amount of land required for pig production and therefore reduce the cost of manure disposal.
Due to the rich phosphorus content of pig manure, application to meet crop nitrogen requirements can result in a net accumulation of phosphorus in the soil. Although phosphorus is much less prone to leaching out of soils than nitrogen, there are concerns that over-enrichment can lead to environmental problems. Phosphorus erosion from soil can enrich surface waters, causing algae bloom, upsetting the flora and fauna balance and degrading water quality.
The concentration of animals and manure into smaller areas increases the risk of environmental contamination and the nuisance potential of farms. This has lead to changes in the regulatory climate in many countries, enforcing stricter environmental regulations, which require animal operations to meet nutrient application standards when disposing of their manure by spreading it on cropland. As a result, the overall challenge of managing manure increases in pig operations.
Environmental issues associated with pig production, and the disposal of manure, are becoming more regulated and complying with the resulting legislation is expensive and time consuming.
Advances in feed management increase the options available to pig producers for reducing nutrients in manure.
Economic analyses show the large potential for phytase in feed to reduce overall manure management costs resulting from environmental regulations.