Mitigation of poultry manure pollution in the Fraser Valley

Intensive poultry production in the lower Fraser Valley of British Columbia has resulted in large quantities of poultry manure being spread on limited land space. This manure is spread on land situated above the Abbotsford aquifer. Due to the high amount of nitrogen and phosphorus present in poultry manure, there is a danger of these nutrients leaching into the groundwater of the aquifer as nitrates. High levels of nitrates in drinking water have been linked to various health hazards such as Methemoglobinaemia, stomach cancer, and gastric cancer. The leaching problem is further compounded by the fact that the region has porous soils, a high water table, and very high annual rainfall. This problem was addressed by analyzing several dietary treatments having varying levels of crude protein from a high of 25% CP (crude protein) to a low of 18% CP and supplemented with the commercial amino acids L-LYS , DL-MET , L-THR, and L-TRY . A linear programming model was used to determine the least cost diet from the various dietary treatments. The most efficient dietary treatment was then identified by Manure disposal options such as storage, land application, and transportation were also considered along with their associated costs. Linear programming was used to identify the least cost manure disposal strategy complying with British Columbia environmental regulations by using a combination of the three options. The results from the two models above were then combined to identify the optimum manure management strategy for a poultry farm in the Fraser valley complying with environmental regulations. The results indicate that diets containing lower levels of crude protein and supplemented with amino acids costs less than those containing higher levels of crude protein. These diets perform better because the nitrogen in the protein is utilized more efficiently thereby resulting in less nitrogen excretion in the manure. Manure that contains low amounts of nitrogen costs less to dispose than that having high amounts of nitrogen. Use of diets containing low levels of crude protein and supplementing them with commercial amino acids can lower the costs of poultry farmers significantly while complying with environmental regulations.Land and Food Systems, Faculty ofGraduat