Pig and Poultry Farming's Hidden Environmental Impacts: A Report by the Wildlife Trusts

Strategic Insights -

Wildlife trusts have sounded the alarm on the significant environmental impacts of pig and poultry farming in the UK, revealing the astonishing scale of pollution caused by the sectors. The sectors produce 10.4 million cubic meters of waste annually, equivalent to 4,160 Olympic-sized swimming pools, which is harming rivers, landscapes, and nature. The high levels of nutrients in the manure cause pollution in habitats, including rivers, and harm water quality and the wildlife that lives in the freshwater environment.

Key Takeaways:

  • The pig and poultry farming sectors produce 10.4 million cubic meters of waste annually, equivalent to 4,160 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
  • The waste from these sectors harms rivers, landscapes, and nature, and causes pollution in habitats, including rivers, and harms water quality and the wildlife that lives in the freshwater environment.
  • More than a third of the UK's wheat crop goes to pig and poultry feed, highlighting the "vast" area of land associated with the production of livestock beyond the intensive farming units themselves.
  • Much of the land used to grow crops for pig and poultry feed is grown using fertilizers and pesticides, which can also pollute the countryside, harming wildlife and habitats.
  • Conservationists are calling for the Government and industry to support farmers to shift to a less polluting and more integrated pig and poultry system to clean up rivers and meet environmentally binding targets.
  • The UK breeds, grows, and slaughters around 11 million pigs and 1.1 billion chickens for food each year, with an egg-laying flock of around 40 million birds producing around 12 billion eggs.
  • Hotspots of pig and poultry production are concentrated in areas such as Breckland and South Norfolk, where 61% of the total farmed area would be required for muck spreading to maintain healthy soil phosphorus balances.
  • 30% of pig holdings are located in Yorkshire and Humberside, and 28% of all poultry holdings are in the Midlands, with an eighth of England's broiler flock in Lincolnshire alone.
  • The report estimates 520,000 to 580,000 hectares of wheat grown in the UK is needed for feed for pigs and poultry, equivalent to 34-38% of the country's total wheat crop, with an associated use of 2,621 tonnes of pesticides, including fungicides.
  • Regulatory lack of environmental permitting rules for pig breeding sows in England and significant proportions of pig populations across the UK means regulators lack a key route to managing the impacts of these farming units.

Statistics:

  • 10.4 million cubic meters of waste annually from pig and poultry farming sectors
  • 4,160 Olympic-sized swimming pools equivalent to the waste produced by the sectors
  • 34-38% of the UK's total wheat crop goes to pig and poultry feed
  • 520,000 to 580,000 hectares of wheat grown in the UK for feed for pigs and poultry
  • 2,621 tonnes of pesticides, including fungicides, used in wheat production for pig and poultry feed
  • 11 million pigs bred, grown, and slaughtered each year
  • 1.1 billion chickens bred, grown, and slaughtered each year
  • 40 million birds in the UK's egg-laying flock
  • 12 billion eggs produced each year
  • 61% of the total farmed area in Breckland and South Norfolk required for muck spreading

Sources:

  • Wildlife Trusts report on environmental impact of pig and poultry farming
  • Environmental Impact of UK Pig and Poultry Production (report by Cumulus Consultants)