Livestock breeding should not be at the expense of the environment

A large-scale pig farm in Pingshui Town, Keqiao District, Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province, was closed and accepted a few days ago. The 259 pigs in the farm were built at the foot of a mountain near the reservoir. Wei Jianjiang, the farmer, had planned to raise them for a long time, so he built four 800-square-meter pig sheds. At the beginning of this year, the pig farm was listed as a clean-up and closed object because of the hidden danger of pollution.

In fact, the action of the relevant departments in Keqiao District to shut down the pig farm is only a microcosm of the clean-up and closure work in the area. During the clearance and closure of livestock and poultry farms for nearly a year, there are more than 800 livestock and poultry breeding sites in Keqiao District alone, which can be said to be very strong and unprecedented in scale. The ultimate goal of the government to make up its mind and make great efforts to shut down livestock and poultry farms is to prevent environmental pollution caused by livestock and poultry farming and to return the public to a clean, hygienic and healthy living environment.

When it comes to the environmental pollution caused by livestock and poultry breeding, the author has deep experience. In the past, almost every family in the countryside raised pigs, and pig farming was the main source of income for the neighbors at that time. The pig house was built on the edge of the yard, smelly in sunny days and sewage in rainy days. But at that time, people did not have the concept of environmental protection, and even if they did, they had to make way for economic income. After all, having an old sow at home is tantamount to having a "family bank".

This is the case in rural areas, not to mention the impact in cities and towns and suburban areas. With the development and progress of society, the public's demand for the living environment is getting higher and higher. many livestock and poultry farms often receive complaints from nearby residents because of their odor and sewage discharge. some even lead to contradictions and conflicts between residents and farmers and enterprises.

In this case, how to deal with these livestock and poultry farms with serious environmental pollution problems has become a test of the wisdom and ability of local governments and functional departments. Objectively speaking, most local governments are under great pressure and taking great risks before making a decision to shut down these livestock and poultry farms. For example, if hundreds of livestock and poultry farms are suddenly closed, the government's tax revenue will certainly be affected; for example, some farmers and enterprises will not obediently accept the fate of being shut down, and various measures may be taken to deal with and confront them. increase the difficulty of law enforcement by relevant departments, and so on.

But then again, both the government and the people have become more and more aware of environmental protection and are no longer willing to sacrifice the environment in exchange for economic development. Especially for those animal husbandry enterprises that do not meet the pollution control standards and have serious environmental pollution, regardless of their size and background, they should be shut down or rectified unconditionally. In fact, this is to sacrifice the interests of the minority to meet the interests of the majority and the public, so it should be understood and supported by the whole society, including aquaculture enterprises and farmers.

On the other hand, if we sacrifice the environment for the development of animal husbandry, in the end, the loss will certainly outweigh the gain, and it will not be possible for sustainable development. If we have to wait until the nearby water sources and land are so polluted that even animal husbandry enterprises cannot stay, it will be too late to control them.