The results of the team's two monitoring and inspection rounds clearly differentiated farms that enthusiastically addressed the odor, and farms that refused to change anything, demanding support to relocate, citing the reason that livestock planning preceded industrial development planning.
Bad smell adds to the obstacle
Following the direction of Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Hong Hai, Duc Linh district established a monitoring team to monitor the implementation of environmental protection regulations and legal regulations related to livestock farming activities near the Nam Ha Industrial Cluster and Residential Area, Dong Ha Commune at the end of July 2023. After that, the team worked separately with each farm and agreed on solutions to implement to overcome the spreading odor. August passed, no one commented on the odor. But in early September 2023, the environmental monitoring team received information reflecting the appearance of odors from livestock farming activities of livestock farms near the Nam Ha Industrial Cluster and Residential Area, Dong Ha Commune. The monitoring team conducted a field inspection at 4 reflecting locations on the afternoon of September 6. The results showed that the odor spread widely in the air, traveling far in the direction of the wind, especially in the area near the Nam Ha 2 Industrial Cluster, mainly from the Vissan pig farm. At the time of inspection, no discharge activities of the farm were detected, so there was no basis for punishment.
At the end of September, the monitoring team received another report and on the afternoon of September 30, they conducted another inspection and monitoring at the same locations, including the Lam Chi Pig Farm. As a result, also at the location behind the Vissan Pig Farm's wastewater treatment system, according to the team's senses, there was a widespread foul odor that traveled far in the direction of the wind. In addition, the foul odor from Lam Chi Pig Farm, although far away, was blown by the wind to the industrial cluster, making businesses even more worried, especially in early October 2023, when Nam Ha Vietnam Shoes Co., Ltd. started recruiting workers and started production. However, with the results of the two monitoring and inspection rounds above, there was a clear distinction between farms that were enthusiastic about overcoming the foul odor, and farms that refused to change anything, demanding support before relocating, citing the reason that livestock planning came before industrial development planning.
Farms that support industrial development
The first farm to note is the TaFa Viet Chicken Farm, which is located adjacent to the Nam Ha residential area (KDC) only 150 m away. After about 3 months of remediation, the company has done a lot of work and has reduced the odor by 70%, as of early October. Specifically, it has fenced the area, planted more trees to create a green belt to absorb odors and prevent odors from spreading outside. In parallel with promoting the promotion program, increasing discounts so that customers can buy more chicken manure, freeing up warehouse space to move the manure warehouse away from the Nam Ha residential area, and investing in high-tower technology from the Federal Republic of Germany to process manure in a closed system, which also controls the odor. In addition, the Japanese 5S process (screening, arranging, cleaning, caring and readiness) has been applied, the focus of which is to ensure that all tools are placed in the right place, keeping the workplace clean. Therefore, according to the plan, it will ensure complete odorlessness before December 2023 as committed. After that, the plan is for the company to gradually move to the farm in Bac Binh and stop raising livestock, converting the project's function.
Mr. Tuan added that all of the above odor control activities involve a lot of expenses for the company through increased costs for electricity, labor, materials, etc. However, facing the promising industrial development situation of the locality, the company finds it necessary to promote more responsibility in environmental protection, and for businesses to join hands to develop the local economy, and should not calculate too much.
Next is Duc Phat Chicken Farm, at the end of September 2023, the farm owner stopped raising chickens and also committed to the district leaders that this year he would not sign contracts with partners for raising chickens anymore with the plan to convert the project's function. Meanwhile, Mr. Le Van Thanh's household pig farm (adjacent to Nam Ha residential area) has completed the relocation of all pigs to Tay Ninh; the remaining 30 sows will continue to be relocated to Tay Ninh as committed before December 31, 2023 and the farm's land has also been almost completely transferred.
Vissan pig farm demands support
If the above 3 farms have changes to promote environmental protection responsibility and contribute to the overall economic development of the district, Vissan pig farm does not agree to follow the relocation roadmap of the Provincial People's Committee until December 31, 2023. At the same time, Vissan pig farm requested Duc Linh district to support the construction of infrastructure in the place where the district has arranged for the farm to move to and also requested investors of industrial clusters to negotiate with the pig farm to support the relocation. That is the content that Duc Linh District Party Secretary Nguyen Van Huy shared, when the press asked why the environmental monitoring team had been established and activated but the stench had not stopped.
In fact, the Vissan pig farm is located in the core area, in the center of industrial clusters and residential areas. Therefore, although the other 3 farms have been repaired, if the Vissan pig farm has not been repaired, the stench here will not change much. The relocation of the Vissan pig farm is not something that has been considered until now when industrial clusters and residential areas are emerging, but since 2019, the Provincial People's Committee has requested it, when this pig farm caused environmental pollution and people complained. Through inspection at that time, the Provincial People's Committee requested that Vietnam Livestock Industry Joint Stock Company must seriously and fully implement the contents of the Certificate of completion of environmental protection works; treated wastewater must be thoroughly recycled for livestock farming, not discharged into the environment...
“The problem is that the stench that spreads into the space shows that this company does not comply with the regulations according to the approved EIA, and may not have a certificate of completion of environmental protection works, which is why it affects the surrounding living environment like that. And don't say that the stench that causes headaches is a typical smell in livestock farming, so it is released into the environment and people naturally have to breathe that characteristic smell. Go to the pig farm with tens of thousands of pigs in Ham Thuan Bac district and see if it has such a characteristic smell. How can we let the people around still live and do business, but we don't care about the residence or relocation of the Vissan pig farm" - said the investor of an industrial cluster in Dong Ha commune. Therefore, it is unlikely that the Vissan pig farm wants businesses in the industrial clusters here to support the relocation. As for Duc Linh district, as initially encouraged livestock farms, the district will support them with legal matters in planning to relocate to other places in the district, converting the project's function to commercial service land... "As for demanding the district to build infrastructure where the pig farm will be relocated, it is making things difficult for the district" - Secretary of Duc Linh District Party Committee Nguyen Van Huy emphasized.
In another development, on October 6, 2023, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment issued a notice on the results of a surprise inspection of compliance with environmental protection laws at Song Ha Farm of Vietnam Livestock Industry Joint Stock Company (Vissan pig farm), requiring the company to comply with 10 requirements.
Lesson 1: Green Economy Has Risen, But the Bad Smell Remains
Lesson 3: Characteristic odors and compliance with the law
HAO CHI - PHOTOGRAPHY BY N. LAN
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