Development of Indicators of Sustainability for Effluent Reuse in the Intensive Livestock Industries: Piggeries and Cattle Feedlots Resource Manual

Summary

This Resource Manual provided readily available data and analysis techniques for evaluating the sustainability of effluent and solid by-product reuse for piggeries and cattle feedlots. It provided suggested sustainability indicators for these intensive livestock industries. Specifically, it:

Examines the LBL scheme.

Examines current guidelines and regulatory requirements for piggeries and cattle feedlots.

Discusses effluent and manure production for piggeries and cattle feedlots.

Investigates the effects that nutrients and salts can have on soil and water resources.

Identifies appropriate indicators for sustainable effluent and solid by-products reuse that could be used by piggery and feedlot operators and regulatory agencies to measure environmental performance and improve sustainability via changes in management of the system (whether or not LBL applies).

Summarises methods for protecting soil, surface and groundwater resources through good design and management.

Outlines how mass balance principles can be used to decide appropriate nutrient and salt loading rates based on land use. This section includes suggested maximum nutrient application rates based on land use. It also suggests techniques for estimating the loads of key pollutants applied to land by intensive livestock industries licensed by the EPA, and methods for estimating nutrient removal by cropping.

Defines a risk assessment procedure to be used for deciding the minimum (costeffective) monitoring requirements that individual facilities could use to demonstrate sustainability. The type and level of monitoring for any facility would depend on the risk to surface water, groundwater and soil resources. This will include suggested monitoring parameters and monitoring frequency for each by-product for reuse (e.g. effluent or solids) and each reuse area at any given enterprise.

Recommends practices to reduce the risk of adverse environmental impacts from effluent or solid by-products reuse.

Identifies areas needing further research.

This Resource Manual draws on state, national and international research. Its development has also relied on extensive consultation with those currently undertaking applicable research. It provides the best currently available scientific basis to assess the environmental sustainability of the reuse of effluent and solid by-products from intensive livestock enterprises (piggeries and cattle feedlots). It also provides a useful starting point for the consideration of sustainability indicators for other intensive livestock industries. A separate summary report provides key practical points from the main report e.g. indicators of sustainability, risk assessment and monitoring recommendations.