Farm South

BACKGROUND

Farm south is a typically moderate-sized piggery located in San Marcelino, South Cotabato, approximately, 50 kilometers south of Metro Davao. Surrounding the farm are residential areas and agricultural rice lands. It began its operations in 1977 with a small property with 200 animals. At present, it comprises two properties with land areas of 5.5 hectares and 4.3 hectares each. Current livestock include 4,200 pigs, 1,300 hens and 60 heads of cattle.

The farm has its own commercial feed mill facility with a production capacity of 50,000 to 65,000 kilograms of animal feed per day. It has also a small feed mill plant for producing animal feed for internal consumption.

These are the daily farm input and waste materials:

• Approximately 6,850 kg of feed

• Almost 300 kilograms per day of feed spillage from commercial milling operations and poor feeding system

• 3.4 metric tons of manure per day

• 1,300 feed sacks (an estimated 3.0% of sacks are torn)

• 0.022 cubic meter of water and medicines per pig

• Total wash water and drinking water is 105.0 cubic meter per day

• Wastes include gases (ammonia), waste water of 115.8 cubic meter

• 15 empty vials per day

• Dead pigs (mortality rate is 14% before weaning and 6.8% after weaning)

• Ash

• Feed mill dust

Farm South operates its own wastewater treatment system, which consists of a series of earthened lagoons. With the recent operation of an organic fertilizer business using chicken manure collected on site, the farm generates additional income. This fertilizer plant has a production capacity of 5,500 bags per month and was built at a cost of Php 650,000. Alternately, this business uses hog manure for fertilizer making.

IMPACTS

Human Health Impacts

• Health reaction to workers due to pollution

Bio-physical Impacts

• Soil weakening

• Annihilation of habitat

• Toxicity to plants and animals

Geo-physical Impacts

• Groundwater and surface water will be contaminated

• Physical change of area

Socio-economic Impacts

• Provides