Brief on Policy on Poultry Industry

Poultry rearing activities which started as a backyard development have undergone a

rapid process of intensification lately. Whilst this has led to improved productivity and
competitive consumer prices, it has also nega tively impacted upon the neighbourhood
and the environment. 54 % of the farms are operating after obtaining EIA licence or PER
approval, while the remaining 46 % of the total farms are operating without any permit
within settlement boundary. Thus, conflict due to intensification of these poultry farms
with inadequate space and know how for proper waste management is getting stronger as
residential development is expanding. Aware of the increasingly crucial call for
sustainable agriculture and in order to prepare the sector for the possible adverse impacts
resulting from the liberalisation of trade and other challenges, it was felt that the industry
needed to be restructured and that a Policy Paper on Poultry Industry be prepared by the
Ministry of Environment & NDU. The main objectives of the policy were to:

• To assess the impacts of the environmental problems of the industry and;

• To recommend a policy on waste management , institutional and legal
frameworks and siting of the industry towards environmental sustainability

FINDINGS
The main findings are as follows:

• The characterization of waste water from hatchery, farm, and slaughterhouses and
processing plants showed high levels of coliform bacteria, thereby indicating the
possible presence of other pathoge nic bacteria. It was thus deduced that solid wastes
would contain even more of the bacteria.

• Solid wastes were found to be generated from farming, slaughtering, hatchery and
processing in a decreasing estimated quantity from 120 000 tons per year to 0.52 tons
per year.

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 Solid wastes in terms of litter and droppings from pens constitute the main concern of
the industry; these are being reused by the farming community without any treatment.

• Waste water was found to be generated in a higher to a lower volume from

slaughtering, farming, processing and hatchery ranging from an estimated volume of
400,000 m3 to 3, 500 m3 per year.

Waste water from the slaughtering sector is of major concern in view of its large
volume and pollution load. Most waste water is not adequately treated.

Most wastewater from the different sectors of the poultry industry does not meet the
standards for effluent discharge into the environment, into sewers or for irrigation
purposes with respect to both physico-chemical and microbiological parameters.
• Concerning land use, besides the poultry activities located within the residential areas,
there is an emerging concern for expansion of residential development on the buffer
zone of EIA/PER approved farms outside settlement boundaries. Access to land is a
major hurdle in the relocation/location of farms. There is potential for extension of
existing farms, for meeting future demand of meat, eggs and processed products.

• It is found that the institutional frameworks have been well established and they are
adequately mandated to control the local poultry industry. However, legislations
pertaining to poultry rearing are scattered and are inadequate to cater for the current
context.

Based on the above findings, recommendations were devised based on a mixed strategy
approach combining relocation, siting, waste treatment, legislation and enforcement.

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RECOMMENDATIONS
The main recommendations are as follows:-

Planning towards sustainability

Ø In view of the potential risk of the Avian flu disease, a phasing out plan for farms in
built up areas shall be devised. A survey shall be undertaken on all farms located within
settlement boundary with respect of their activeness in the industry, contribution to the
market and interest in relocation to become a professional farm. As such, the farms
would have the means and capacity to prevent and respond to potential risks of the latter
diseases.

Ø In line with the introduction of a relocation strategy, identification of some low

potential agricultural/marginal land/buffer for bad neighbour development - at a regional
level, which are outside the Irrigation Zone, be recommended for the clustering of poultry
farms/other related activities whilst observing the statutory setback between poultry
farms. The provision of an Incentive Scheme will allow for implementation of the
strategy as it would benefit both farmers and land owners.

Ø In view of the existing potential for expansion of properly located farms, the TAC
favours expansion of existing activities and recommends that a survey be undertaken on
all EIA licensed and PER approved farms for their potential for expansion in the light of
projected demand for eggs, meat and processed products.

Ø Moreover, based on the scarcity of land, expansion potential of properly located farms,
the 97 % contributions of meat and eggs by industrial scale poultry operators’ and the
capacity to prevent and respond to potential risks of diseases, it is recommended that
proponents be encouraged in more vertically integrated poultry production. This will
involve controlling all stages of production from feed manufacturing, breeding, hatching
and rearing through product processing and marketing towards sustainability.

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Waste treatment

Ø As a means to minimize wastes, nuisances and flies/pests proliferation from source,

proper husbandry practices and other management operations shall be undertaken as
recommended.

Ø In view of the pathogenic nature of both solid wastes and wastewater from hatchery,
farming, slaughtering and processing, both solid and liquid wastes shall be carefully
handled, contained, stored by properly equipped operators and/or transported to be
treated or carted away in licensed waste carriers as provided for in the Local Government
Act, 2003.

Ø As litter and droppings have good composting potential and composting has
successfully been tried on-farm using the windrow system, on-site composting could be
allowed on a case to case basis. The farmer must have the required land and should
respect the required distance from farming as advised by the relevant authority.

Ø In view of land scarcity, cost-effectiveness and better control on quality of compost,

composting shall be done in a regional or central composting plant. The composting
plant shall preferably be located within the clustered areas for poultry activities and the
technique to be adopted be such that there is lower greenhouse gas emissions to benefit
from funds under the Cleaner Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol.

Ø As dead birds represent 3 to 5 % of the bird’s cycle, it is recommended to bury them

on site or co-compost them with litter/droppings as per advice from the relevant
authority.

Ø All solid wastes from slaughterhouses shall be either rendered for formulation of pig
feed as per draft Pig Regulations or disposed of daily by carting away in landfill, failing
which the said wastes shall be stored in chilled rooms until final disposal, or to an
industrial scale slaughterhouse which can afford to have the required technology for
transformation.

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Waste water management recommended as follows:-
Ø Wastewater from hatchery be disposed of into a septic tank and soak away system.

Ø Given the polluting potential of the wastewater from farms, the wastewater shall be
disposed of into appropriately designed soak away; the design shall be based on a waste
water flow of 10 m3 per 10 000 birds.

Ø Blood from slaughterhouses shall be separated from the normal wastewater stream.
The coagulated blood shall be stabilized with lime and disposed of at the la ndfill or
rendered for use as pet food.

Ø Extensive dry clean up followed by wet wash down is recommended to be the best
approach to reduce the suspended solids and the organic loading in the effluent streams
and wastewater treatment costs.

Ø All large scale slaughterhouses shall have on-site waste water treatment plant either as
a pre-treatment facility for compliance to standards for discharge into sewers or as a full
treatment facility to make the final effluent acceptable for discharge into the
environment.

Ø Small scale slaughterhouses shall construct a watertight holding tank to hold the
wastewater and same be carted away to an approved disposal site of the WMA. The size
of the holding tank would be a function of the capacity of the slaughterhouse but should
not be less than 10 m3 .

Ø Wastewater from processing plant shall be stored in lined tanks and carted away to
approved disposal sites if the area is not sewered.

Ø All slaughterhouses and processing units discharging or carting away untreated/

treated wastewater into a wastewater system, shall apply for a licence from the
Wastewater Management Authority as stipulated in Waste Water (Standards for
discharge of industrial effluent into a waste water system) Regulations 2004.

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Ø All slaughterho uses/processing plants discharging treated effluent in watercourses shall
apply for an Effluent Discharge Permit from the Water Resources Unit as stipulated in
Environment Protection (Effluent Discharge Permit) Regulations 2003.

Institutional and legislative arrangements

Ø Health guidelines shall be prepared for the hatchery sector and the Environmental
guideline on Poultry shall be amended to include guidelines for the hatchery sector.

Ø The draft Poultry Rearing Regulations shall be amended in light of the

recommendations of the TAC report and promulgated as a priority.

Ø An awareness campaign shall be undertaken to inform operators on the

recommendations of the TAC.

The Policy will be implemented by the Ministry of Agro Industry and Fisheries (Agro
Industry Division).

The full text of the document is available for consultation at the Resource Centre of the
Ministry of Environment & NDU, Ground Floor, Ken Lee Tower, Cnr St Georges and
Barracks Streets, Port Louis