External environment
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The external environment is an informant factor for the Danish abattoir and meat processing companies. The authorities constantly increase the companies' requirements, which they wish to fulfil. Documentation and control must be correct. New areas such as environmental management, live cycle evaluation and best available technology are progressing. It is some times necessary to use advanced measuring methods in order to quantify the companies' environmental influence and energy consumption. And the companies must be able to discuss the problems with both the authorities and neighbours and to know the requirements of tomorrow. The work at the Danish Meat Research Institute covers environmental influence, use of resources and technology evaluation ranging from slaughter to manufacture of meat products. Target: The environmental influence must be mapped, and equipment and processes that have the least possible influence on the environment must be selected. The slaughterhouse companies must at all times be able to fulfil the requirements from the authorities and neighbours to the environmental influence and consumption of resources. |
Slaughterhouses carry out odour abatement
The slaughter animals, and the first part of the slaughter process, emit odours. If the slaughterhouse is positioned close to a town or dwelling areas it is attempted to reduce the odour emission to the surroundings. It is done on several fronts: By reducing the creation of odours, the emission of malodorous compounds to the surroundings and the spread in the surroundings. Typical methods are:
- Encapsulation of malodorous materials and processes
- Cleaning of areas with smelling materials
- Limiting the storage time for smelling materials
- High chimneys from areas with unpleasant odours
There are many conditions that influence the odour influence on the surroundings, and for slaughterhouses close to a town or dwelling areas, the work on odour abatement is therefore part of the daily efforts on environmental matters.
Energy and water consumption plus pollution
Pig abattoirs
Work on cleaner technology has reduced the water consumption per slaughtered animal from 1,000 litres in 1974 to 220 litres in 2000. Within the last five years some of the processes of the slaughterhouses have been automated; that has resulted in an increase in the consumption to a current figure of 240 litres per slaughtered pig.
However, the increase in 2005 has particularly been caused by a change in the abattoir structure, where a number of small abattoirs have had falling production, while a new large abattoir was started. This has created a temporary increase in the consumption.
Pig slaughter, water consumption litres per animal Year
Automation is a necessity in order to safeguard the competitive power of the slaughterhouses, and further small increases cannot be ruled out. The water consumption increases at automation due to increased cleaning. In popular terms one can say that a butcher with a knife is replaced by a complicated machine with large surfaces and more equipment to clean every day.
The development in energy consumption is similar to the development in water consumption. Having achieved considerable savings by using cleaner technology, so that the consumption fell by ca. 50% from 1981 to 2003, it is now increasing slightly again due to greater mechanisation.
Pig slaughter, total energy consumption kWh per animal Year
By the automation humans are replaced by machines, and although they have a good energy utilisation, it must be expected that the slight increase will continue during the next few years.
From 1981 to 2003 the pollution per carcass (measured in BOD or BI5) went down by 50 % and has thereafter generally been unchanged. The reason is that a better collection of organic waste has been balanced by an increased need for cleaning due to new machines and automatic processes.
Pig slaughter, pollution kilograms BOD per animal Year
The pollution will probably be able to be held at this level in the future. It is calculated prior to waste water cleaning and shows how well the slaughterhouses collect organic matter prior to the discharge to the waste water system.
Cattle abattoirs
Cleaner technology has lowered the water consumption per head of cattle from more than 2,100 litres in 1984 to around 500 litres in 2001. It is expected that the present level can be maintained in the future.
Cattle slaughter, water consumption litres per animal Year
By using cleaner technologies the energy consumption has fallen from 1990 to 2000 and has thereafter reached a level that will be maintained during the coming years.
Cattle slaughter, energy consumption kWh per animal Year
The pollution at the cattle abattoirs has, at several abattoirs, been measured after treatment in own waste water plants. Changes in cost of treatment and discharge of waste water have within recent years meant that some abattoirs have reduced the degree of treatment and therefore from around 2004 discharge more organic material to the local authority installations.
Cattle slaughter, pollution kilograms BOD per animal Year
Poultry abattoirs
The energy and water consumption of the poultry abattoirs have been reducing slightly from 1998 to 2001, but have thereafter been rising slightly towards 2005. The consumption is ca. 16 litres of water and ca. 0.5 kWh per chicken in 2005.
