Animal Housing Environmental Barriers

Poultry farms are facing unprecedented challenges! Emissions of ammonia, dust, odor, and noise from poultry operations are an increasing concern from both a neighbor-relations and an environmental standpoint. Odor, dust, feathers, and noises associated with poultry operations are issues the poultry industry must deal with to maintain good neighbor-relations. With more frequent use of tunnel fans during warm weather and more outdoor activities by neighbors, summer is often a critical time for nuisance complaints to surface. During the past few years, there have been an increasing number of legal cases involving nuisance complaints associated with neighbors next to, and downwind of tunnel-ventilated poultry houses. At the same time we are seeing an increase in human population in many poultry producing areas. As many poultry producing areas in the USA become more urbanized, the likelihood of increased nuisance-related complaints will only increase. These issues are exacerbated as the size of our poultry farms increase. To further add to the poultry industry’s future challenges, emissions from poultry houses may be regulated in the future. The National Ambient Air Quality Standards under the Clean Air Act has been revised to include a particulate matter standard of 2.5 µm diameter. Both ammonia and dust may fall under this regulation. In some coastal areas of the U.S. there is the added concern that ammonia emissions from poultry houses may be a significant source of atmospheric nitrogen and this source of nitrogen may stimulate algae growth particularly during the summer