Get to know the new Royal Decree on pig farms in a minute

Is it the new one? RD 306/2020 on farm management what legislation will definitely make pig farms sustainable?

It was already necessary.

One of the drivers of this revision in the management of the sector are environmental challenges in line with social expectations. Swine production can have a environmental impact significant, especially associated with nitrate production and ammonia emissions into the atmosphere and, to a lesser extent, because of its contribution to climate change.

The measures proposed in this Royal Decree will make pig farms sustainable and will contribute to the commitments to reduce atmospheric polluting gases contained in European regulations such as Directive (EC) 2016/2284 or Regulation (EU) 2018/842 in line with the climate and energy objectives set for the year 2030.

The analysis of the decree you were waiting for

In a first analysis of the new RD 306/2020, we highlight the main new features:

1. The figure of the farm veterinarian was already defined in Law 8/2003, but it is now being developed.
2. Adequate and sufficient training is guaranteed for all staff with minimum content detailed in Annex III.
3. There will be progressive levels of biosafety conditions depending on the size of the farm. The requirements described in Article 5 for existing farms will not take effect until January 1, 2024.
4. It incorporates obligations and documentary requirements to ensure compliance with RD 1135/2002 in the area of animal welfare.
5. It also incorporates an emission reduction program, applicable to all farms starting from a medium size (with a capacity greater than 120 and up to 864 UGM) through the mandatory application of Best Available Techniques (MTD) defined in RDL 1/2016 and updated in Article 3.10 of Directive 2010/75/EU. Basically, these measures affect the nutritional strategy, the frequency of emptying the pits and the coating of the ponds (art. 9.1 and 10.2), among other alternatives.
6. The farm veterinarian must develop a Comprehensive Farm Management System (SIGE) that will include, among other contents, an environmental management plan and the fight against climate change to ensure compliance with the MTDs. The content of the SIGE must be updated at least every 5 years.
7. The SIGE will also include a Plan for the rational use of antibiotics to combat antibiotic resistance, a priority of the European Union included in our National Plan against Antibiotic Resistance (PRAN) 2019-2021.
8. A Register of Best Available Techniques is created to monitor the extent of ESAs and to carry out an environmental classification of farms. The obligation to have a SIGE and the requirements related to the registration and accounting of pollutant emissions and MTDs will take effect as of January 1, 2022 for all farms, including existing ones, that have a capacity greater than 5.1 UGM.

One of the aspects that remain in RD 324/2000 are the requirements for the agronomic valuation of manure, but this will only be temporary until the approval of the royal decree on sustainable nutrition of agricultural soils, which will be complementary to this royal decree.

What is inherited from the previous Royal Decree

On February 13, this new Royal Decree was published in the Official State Gazette. This repeals RD 324/2000 shortly before its twentieth anniversary, but other elements are inherited that continue to be under regulation and are:

• Different considerations to take into account in the design of the facilities will be:
  • The mesh covering of the windows or the separation between the dirty and clean area in the changing rooms.
• The equivalences in UGM of the different types of cattle.
• The minimum distances between farms and with respect to other facilities.
• Movements between pig farms.

Will these new regulations meet the environmental requirements of modern society? Let's hope so.