ABSTRACT
This chapter assesses the potential emission impact area of different "hypothetical" Australian piggery buildings, so the practical results of changes in emission rates can be assessed. It can be seen from the results that the hypothetical piggery with traditional buildings impacted a larger area compared to the piggery with deep bedded shelters (DBS) structures, despite DBS structures emitting significantly more dust per standard livestock unit than traditional buildings. Therefore, it can be concluded that farms with DBS might not emit more pollutants if traditional stocking densities are used. However, if farms with the same number of pigs are compared, a greater level of dust emission can be expected from farm using DBS. Based on the specific data the following conclusions can be made: housing/farming systems and management-related factors, such as stocking density of animals in the buildings, need to be considered when evaluating the likely emission impact of livestock farming operations.
