PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT OF A POULTRY ABATTOIR AND THE EXPANSION OF A PIGGERY FACILITY LOCATED ON PORTIONS 1, 2 AND 3 OF THE FARM WILDEALSKLOOF 1205, BLOEMFONTEIN, FREE STATE PROVINCE

Two Gees Trading (Pty) Ltd appointed Green-Box Consulting (Pty) Ltd., an Independent Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAP), to undertake the required Basic Assessment Process for the proposed development of a Poultry Abattoir and expansion of a Piggery Facility on Portion 1, 2 and 3 of the farm Wildealskloof 1205, Bloemfontein, Free State Province. It is the intention of Two Gees Trading to reinstate the farm and existing infrastructure, which includes broiler structures, a piggery structure, water infrastructure and staff housing, to function as farming facility. The farm will specifically focus on the rearing of chickens, the slaughter of these chickens and the rearing of pigs for markets in the Free State province.

The proposed agricultural project is a listed activity in terms of Sections 24(2) and 24(d) of the National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (Act No. 107 of 1998) (NEMA) (as amended). The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Regulations, 2017 in terms of Chapter 5 of the NEMA provide for the control of certain activities that are listed in Government Notice Regulations No. (GN R) No. R327, R325 and R324. Activities listed in these notices must comply with the regulatory requirements listed in GN R No. R326, which prohibits such activities until written authorisation is obtained from the competent authority. Such environmental authorisation, which may be granted subject to conditions, will only be considered once there has been compliance with the EIA regulations, 2017. GN R No. 326 sets out the procedure and documentation that need to be compiled with the undertaking of a Basic Assessment Report.

The Wildealskloof farm Portion 1, 2 and 3 is an agricultural used land divided in three portions totalling 254.3-hectares. The property is currently zoned as agricultural land and the current land use is agricultural. The site for the project falls within an area designated for agricultural purposes in terms of the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) of the Mangaung Metropolitan municipality.

As said the farm has been extensively used for agricultural activities mainly as a poultry broiler farm in the past, also having a small piggery. Project Description

The agricultural project includes the development of two facilities, e.g. a poultry abattoir and the expansion of the small piggery.

(a) Poultry Abattoir

The Poultry Abattoir will consist of the following main components:

1. The construction of a new poultry abattoir building (1550.47m²) with a capacity to slaughter 10 000 birds per day (two cycles, e.g. 10 000 birds’ cycle one and 5000 birds cycle two);
2. Internal stormwater, electricity and water supply infrastructure;
3. Security fence;
4. Parking;
5. Access road;
6. Admin Building (141.74m²);
7. Guard house.

The abattoir will be located within the farm boundaries on Portion 2 and will be approximately in total 1700m² in extent. (Please refer to below Figure for the layout of the abattoir). The abattoir will be serviced with support infrastructure including water supply, waste management facility and electricity supply. It will also have two ablution facilities - one for women and one for men, including a dirty bathroom and a clean bathroom as per abattoir standards. It is anticipated that 10 000 chickens per day (15 000 birds over two cycles per day) will be slaughtered and prepared for the market. Waste streams will be limited to effluent (containing predominantly blood) and feathers. Effluent will be treated through a formalised treatment system. Feathers will be sold to markets.

The abattoir facility design has been approved by State Veterinary Services, Department of Agriculture, and will be inspected on a regular basis. The facility will be registered under the Meat Safety Act, Act 40 of 2000, therefore all requirements in terms of this registration will have to be adhered to. Should diseased chickens be noticed, the local Health and Safety Inspector will be contacted immediately, and chickens will be managed in accordance with the Health Inspector’s advice. It is anticipated that most parts of the chickens will be sold. Blood will be sold, and other facility effluent wastewater will be treated through a formalised treatment system.

This project is considered as an economic growth and upliftment project that will provide 60 job opportunities to the local community in the Mangaung Metro Municipal area. The project will be phased according to the finances available for construction and operational purposes as well the market-related demand.

The proposed activity will be situated on Portion 2 of the farm Wildealskloof, that is an existing working farm with existing main electricity and water supply. Three alternative sites on the broader farm (Portion 1, 2 and 3) have been identified as possible areas to construct and operate the abattoir. Alternative 1 (see below alternative location map) has been selected as the preferred area to develop the abattoir.

(b) Piggery Expansion

The second activity proposed is the expansion of an existing piggery, operating on Portion 1 of the farm Wildealskloof.
Two Gees Trading is proposing to expand its existing piggery to a formal piggery that can accommodate 2000 pigs. The intension is to rear and sell pigs. The pigs are to be sold to local abattoirs in providing much needed pork meat to the Bloemfontein market. Both artificial insemination and natural breading with boars will be used in the breeding process.

Three (3) facilities will be erected for the purpose of the piggery, these include the following:
• Mating and Gestation Houses
• Furrowing and weaner houses
• Grower and Finisher houses

Breeding process:
At 110 days the gilt / sow is ready to furrow. Gilts and sows are moved to the farrowing houses / pens. Here the sow will be with the piglets until they reach 28 days or about 7kg. Weaned piglets (28 days old and weighing ±6.5 - 7 kg) will be transferred from the farrowing pens to the weaner facility, where they will stay until they are 70 days old or about 25 to 30kg. Sows will be moved back to the mating houses.

Cleaning and disinfection will take place between batches and the rooms will be left to dry. The washing and disinfecting procedures between each cycle determines the capacity of the Weaner Facility. Stress as a result of change in diet (milk to solid feed), mixing with other pigs and environmental changes also increase the susceptibility of piglets to disease. Therefore, newly weaned pigs must be provided with a warm, dry and draught free environment to counter these abrupt changes. The Weaner Facility will thus be fully slatted and environmentally controlled to reduce the environmental stress on the piglets. Ventilation will be fully mechanical with heating and cooling facilities.
Grower and Finisher houses
When weaners reach 25kg to 30kg they are moved to grower and finisher houses. When piglets reach an average of 70kg, they are sold to market as porkers, and when the reach 75kg to 95kg, they are sold as baconers. The applicant proposes to combine the grower and finisher house into one.

Additional infrastructure to be erected include the following:

(c) Service Infrastructure

Poultry Abattoir Effluent Waste
The operational phase of the proposed abattoir will generate effluent comprising of wastewater (blood, fat, small pieces of meat, gizzard contents, manure) produced in the slaughtering process. This effluent will be channelled, via gravitational reticulation, to a septic tank system (baffled anaerobic digesters septic tanks) located on site. The tank will have a solids trap where waste is separated into liquids and solids. Treated effluent can be disposed into the open fields surrounding the facility.

Condemned materials at the abattoir consist of the following:
 Dead on arrival chickens (DOAs);
 Chickens killed in the intake department;
 Feathers and Blood;
 Soil and faecal matter from live bird trucks, dirty modules and crates, and the module washer screen;
 Heads and carcasses lost under the plucker machines;
 Products that are condemned during inspections.

All condemned materials will be placed in designated bins and are sealed. The following procedures will apply to each class of condemned material:

Solid waste and effluent management will be a key aspect in maintaining the facility to the relevant health and sanitation standards stipulated by the Free State, State Veterinary Services. There will be two main waste streams – solid waste collected by an appointed service provider and effluent waste that will be treated as per the alternatives presented in this report.

DOAs
DOAs will be placed in locked bins in a refrigeration container. Here the temperature is kept at 0°C and carcasses are placed inside crates to allow for adequate air circulation between the carcasses. The carcasses are then taken by a service provider for destruction.

Condemned materials – chickens killed in the intake department
The carcasses will be collected and placed in a designated, locked bin marked “Condemned material”. The carcasses are then taken by a service provider for destruction.

Feathers
Feathers from the pluckers will be collected in containers to sold to the market, for reuse.

Blood
From the culling area, blood will be pumped from the blood tunnel to a blood collection tank. The tank is emptied daily, and the blood contained in sealed containers and sold to the market for reuse.

Soil and faecal matter
Soil and faecal matter from the live bird trucks will be swept together and collected in a wheelbarrow. The wheelbarrow will then be emptied into collection containers from where it will either be spread directly on land or sold as material for compost manufacturing.

Products that are condemned during inspections
Carcasses removed by a qualified meat examiner at the first meat inspection point will be placed in dedicated bins marked “Condemned material”. The bin will be removed by the meat inspector to determine if any disease or condition is present. The material will then either be taken to the carcass shredder or the refrigeration container at the waste collection area.

Piggery Effluent Waste
It is estimated, based on known norms, that the pigs will produce 2 - 3 tons of effluent per day. The effluent is a mixture of dung, urine and wash water. A septic tank system is proposed for the project. The septic tank system will pass through three stages of treatment. All solid and liquid waste will pass to the first tank where solids will start to settle to the bottom while liquid waste will pass to the second tank. In the second tank, any sold remains will settle at the bottom while only liquid waste will pass to the third tank. Liquid water from the third tank will be disinfected and will be used in the cleaning of pens and for irrigation purposes. All solid waste will be pumped and sold to the local marked in order to produce fertilisers. All pens will be fitted with drainage pipelines that feed to the septic tank.

Water Usage and Requirements
The applicant has applied to the Department of Water and Sanitation to register 8 boreholes to feed the abattoir and piggery with water. The expected yield (as identified by the Geophysical investigation) is 1 328 000 litres reservoir capacity, municipal water is not limited, and additional 4 x 116 Liters reservoirs are planned.

Energy Sources
The proposed facilities are expected to require minimal electricity during operation. This will be utilised for the lighting of the buildings and facility machinery as well as the operation of borehole pumps for water reticulation. Electricity will be sourced from the national grid via the existing electricity infrastructure available on the site.

Stormwater Infrastructure
The management of stormwater during the construction phase may require the implementation of water diversion berms prior to the commencement of the site establishment. The diversion berms will be designed in such a way as to ensure that the proposed development sites are properly protected from excess stormwater flow, while also ensuring that the surrounding land is capable of handling the additional (diverted) water.

During the operational phase, the building gutters and drains will be designed in such a way as to ensure that rainwater does not enter the abattoir and piggery facilities. Stormwater cut-off drains is proposed to be installed to prevent stormwater flow through the abattoir and piggery and discharge the stormwater into a suitable area away from the operations. This will prevent possible contamination and spread of disease. The aim of the operational stormwater infrastructure will be to ensure that clean rainwater does not come into contact with any effluent associated with the proposed developments and is thus adequately diverted in such a way that it can flow, unaffected, into the surrounding fields.





Province(s): Free State