Strengthen the resource utilization of livestock and poultry manure to promote green development of our city’s animal husbandry.
The Party Central Committee and the State Council attach great importance to the resource utilization of livestock and poultry manure. At the 14th meeting of the Central Financial and Economic Leading Group, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that accelerating the treatment and resource utilization of livestock and poultry manure is crucial for improving the living and production environment of rural residents, driving the rural energy revolution, and ensuring continuous enhancement of soil fertility and effective control of agricultural non-point source pollution—a major undertaking that benefits both the country and the people in the long run. The spirit of the General Secretary’s important speech has provided clear guidance and direction for the work of resource utilization of livestock and poultry manure. Promoting the treatment and resource utilization of livestock and poultry manure is an inevitable requirement for implementing the concept of green development, a vital measure for strengthening ecological civilization, and an urgent task that addresses the concerns of the people. It is of great significance for winning the tough battle against agricultural non-point source pollution and speeding up the construction of modern animal husbandry.
In recent years, our city’s animal husbandry industry has maintained steady and stable development, with steadily improving production capacity and continuously rising standards for large-scale, standardized farming. This has effectively ensured market supply and made outstanding contributions to increasing farmers’ incomes and helping them become prosperous. However, the substantial amounts of livestock waste generated alongside this development have also given rise to environmental pollution problems. In November 2016, after conducting an inspection in Chongqing, the Central Environmental Protection Inspection Team issued its inspection findings: efforts to address pollution from livestock and poultry breeding have been insufficient. Among nearly 100,000 farms (households) across the city, most have not been included in remediation plans; among the more than 560 large-scale farms, one-third lack adequate pollution-control facilities. Each year, approximately 28 million tons of livestock and poultry manure and urine remain uncomprehensively treated. Currently, our city produces 2.6 million tons of meat, eggs, and milk annually, generating about 115 million tons of livestock and poultry manure and waste. Around 25% of this waste still remains untreated and underutilized, causing adverse impacts on the surrounding environment and residents’ daily lives, and has thus become one of the key sources of non-point source pollution in rural areas today. It is now imperative to strengthen the management and resource utilization of livestock and poultry manure and waste. We must further unify our thinking, build consensus, and take concrete measures to address this issue effectively.
In order to implement the instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping, the “Opinions of the General Office of the State Council on Accelerating the Resource Utilization of Livestock and Poultry Breeding Waste” (Guobanfa [2017] No. 48), and the “Notice of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs on Issuing the Action Plan for the Resource Utilization of Livestock and Poultry Manure (2017–2020)” (Nongmufa [2017] No. 11), on November 30, 2017, the General Office of the Chongqing Municipal People’s Government issued the “Work Plan for the Resource Utilization of Livestock and Poultry Breeding Waste in Chongqing Municipality” (Yu Fu Ban Fa [2017] No. 175). This document has laid a solid policy foundation for accelerating the resource utilization of livestock and poultry manure in our city.
In 2018, we took this as an opportunity to carry out the following key tasks: First, we established a city-wide shared direct-link platform for livestock and poultry breeding. Based on Chongqing Animal Husbandry Cloud, we integrated basic environmental protection information on livestock and poultry breeding across the city, creating the Chongqing Municipal Information System for Environmental Protection in Livestock and Poultry Breeding. This system features unified management, tiered access, and shared direct links. We conducted a comprehensive inventory and data entry of all farmers whose annual livestock holdings range from the equivalent of 20 to 200 pigs, as well as large-scale farms with an annual output of more than 500 livestock and poultry. Second, we set up an Engineering Center for the Resource Utilization of Livestock and Poultry Breeding Waste. Led by the Chongqing Municipal Animal Husbandry Technology Extension Station, we established an expert committee composed of specialists from universities, research institutes, environmental protection enterprises, and district- and county-level animal husbandry extension agencies. This committee will form an engineering center that integrates industry, academia, research, and extension services for the resource utilization of livestock and poultry breeding waste. Through this center, we will pool wisdom and strength to conduct specialized research projects and address a number of existing challenges in our city related to the harmless treatment and resource utilization of poultry manure and other livestock wastes. Third, we carried out the formulation, revision, and dissemination of relevant standards. Following the principles of source reduction, process control, and end-of-pipe utilization of livestock and poultry breeding waste, we focused our efforts on revising and disseminating relevant standards around these three key stages. Fourth, we integrated and promoted relevant technologies and models. We conducted surveys to identify technologies and models for the resource utilization of livestock and poultry breeding waste that can be widely replicated and promoted throughout the city. In 2018, we demonstrated and promoted in the city a series of effective integrated farming models—such as solid manure composting, wastewater-to-fertilizer conversion, and off-site fermentation beds—that are well-suited to our city’s conditions. Fifth, we continued to carry out city-wide governance and supervision of livestock and poultry waste. In 2018, the city completed the treatment of livestock and poultry waste equivalent to 400,000 pig units. Sixth, we focused on establishing green demonstration counties and initiated the first-phase city-wide promotion of resource utilization of livestock and poultry breeding waste in Rongchang and Qianjiang districts. Seventh, we organized relevant technical training. Focusing on the collection, treatment, storage, and utilization of livestock and poultry breeding waste, we provided technical training for grassroots animal husbandry extension workers and farm operators.
