20.01.2014
Dynamic development of modern agriculture, intensive livestock industry and yield maximization measures in the face of limited and definite agricultural area give rise not only to economic opportunities, but also to serious risks for the natural environment of the Baltic Sea. Intensive and unsustainable livestock production and its contribution to the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea as well as the inland water courses and reservoirs have become one of the most serious challenges in environmental protection of the Baltic Sea catchment basin.
In consideration of the scale and intensification of livestock production, as well as the livestock density, it appears obvious that large-scale animal production installations exert a significant effect on the natural environment and local communities. It is widely believed that large-scale livestock production has no chance of being environmentally friendly, which is, at least in many cases, confirmed in practice.
There are methods to prevent negative consequences of industrial livestock production to make it, if not friendly, than perhaps neutral to the natural environment. By applying these methods, the intensive livestock industry can come closer to the sustainable agriculture role-model; however, these methods can never substitute work at the grassroots level, i.e. starting from investment planning, in the spirit of sustainable development. In other words, the scale and concentration of production is at stake.
The whole leaflet can be found here:
Guidelines for Best Environmental Practice for Industrial Animal Farming