How can a pig farm contribute to better animal welfare whilst at the same time reducing emissions of harmful gases? As part of the Zonvarken concept, Wageningen University & Research investigated a housing system that combines both objectives, resulting in significantly lower emissions.
The Zonvarken concept offers pigs more space and access to an outdoor run. At the same time, the housing system is designed to limit emissions of harmful gases at source, rather than removing them from the barn air after the fact.
Researchers Paria SefeedpariI and Fei Xie, in collaboration with the Zonvarken Cooperative, carried out measurements of emissions of ammonia (NH3), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) at three farms using the Zonvarken concept.
What do the measurements show?
When compared with a conventional housing system for a closed farm with 50 sows, the following emission reductions were calculated:
- 61% less ammonia (NH3): from 1,938 to 750 kg per year.
- 89% less methane (CH4): from 10,815 to 1,183 kg per year.
- Nitrous oxide emissions remained generally low and were close to zero.
The results show that the Zonvarken concept has the potential to significantly reduce ammonia and methane emissions.
Separation of urine and manure
A key principle of this housing concept is the separation of urine and solid manure and the regular removal of manure. As a result, urine and manure remain in contact with each other for a shorter period. Among other things, attention should be paid to keeping the outdoor run clean, ensuring reliable and regular manure removal, and adjusting the feed. In addition, the measurement method for ammonia emissions requires further development and validation to improve the reliability of the measurement results.
This study was carried out as part of Fei Xie's PhD research and was funded by the province of Gelderland under the 'Subsidy Scheme for Innovation and Modernisation of Nitrogen - Innovation in Other Sectors'.
Read the full report from Wageningen Livestock Research.
