ARI Volume 2 Number 1.pdf - Zoo-unn.org

Animal Research International (2005) 2(1): 267 – 274 267ANIMAL WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES, A REVIEW1 UCHEWA, Emmanuel Nwafoagu, 1 OTUMA, Michael Oria and 2 BROOKS, Peter1 Department of Animal production and Fisheries Management, Ebonyi State University, PMB 053, Abakaliki,Ebonyi State, Nigeria2 Faculty of Food, Land and Leisure, University of Plymouth, Seale Hayne, Newton Abbot. TQ12 6NQ, UnitedKingdomCorresponding Author: UCHEWA, E. N. Department of Animal production and Fisheries Management,Ebonyi State University, PMB 053, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, NigeriaABSTRACTThe issue of pollution and environmental protection now command widespread interes t andpolitical attention. Increased concern over environmental destruction has led to theintroduction of new anti pollution laws and regulations in many countries throughout theworld . Some such regulations focus on curbing pollution caused by industrial and agriculturalactivi ties . Animals produce enormous quantities of waste per day. In areas supportingintensive livestock production, accumulation of such waste can pose a serious environmentalhazard. A single animal pen of a moderate size will produce quantities o f waste equal to thatproduced by a small town annually. Waste produced from these pens usually lead to soil,water and the atmosphere pollutions . Several nutritional advances have been reported whichserve to reduce the excretion and pollutive effect o f animal waste.Keywords: Environmental pollution, Animal, Nutrition, Animal wasteINTRODUCTIONIntensive animal production systems are inefficientfeed converters into. This is particularly true fornitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K)ratio in animal diet compare to the dietary intake.A large fraction of these elements in feed are notdeposited in animal tissue, but wasted as amixture of urine and faecal matter (Tamminga andVerstegen, 1992). Losses in animal excreta occurin form of solid, liquid and gases.High animal stocking density often, resultsin high waste production per unit area, thus animalmanure is becoming a burden on the environment(AFRC, 1991). This is particularly the case in areaswhere intensive systems are employed for animalhusbandry such as in The Netherlands andHolland. Public pressure aimed at reducingenvironmental pollution, including that caused bythe animal industry, is a growing concern. In orderto avoid a forced, significant reduction in the sizeof the animal industry, measures will have to betaken to reduce its negative impact on theenvironment (Tamminga and Verstegen, 1992). Anumber of biological approaches may be pursuedwhich can help reduce environmental pollutionarising from animal waste.Dietary manipulation designed to increasefeed digestibility reduces the quantity of faecalmatters produced by the animals. Theincorporation of specific enzymes in diets has alsosolved some specific nutritional problems.Enzymes rich feed often reduces the level ofpollutants excreted in the faecal matter (Bateman,1998).MAJOR POLLUTANTSTo sustain their growth, plants must assimilate avariety of nutrient, most notably nitrogen andphosphorus. These nutrients are invariably presentin animal manure (Headon and Walsh, 1994).Manure thus serves as an effective fertiliser.However, if manure is applied to the soil at a rate,which exceeds plant assimilation, a build up ofnutrients can occur (Tamminga et al., 1992). Suchnutrients, which include nitrogen, phosphorus andminerals, can cause serious pollution.Phosphorus: Low efficiency in the utilization ofdietary phosphorus is seen in pigs and othermonogastric animals. This is reflected by the largequantity of phosphorus normally associated withanimal waste (Cromwell, 1980). Dietarysupplementation of phytase enzyme can effect theconcentration of phosphorus in poultry andlivestock wastes through its ability to liberatephytate phosphorus contained in the cell walls offeed grains (Edens et al., 1999). However thisliberation of phytate phosphorus can only beaccomplished if a concomitant reduction is made insupplemented dietary inorganic phosphorus andcalcium. Phytate forms acid salts with mineralcations such as calcium, magnesium, copper, Zinc,