ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS AND IMPACT OF MANURE GENERATED BY LIVESTOCK OPERATIONS IN SOME AMERICAN COUNTRIES

Manure generated by livestock operations can cause negative impacts on the environment if there is no control of its storage, transport or application. Manure emits greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and micro and macro nutrients accumulate in soil and bodies of surface water. Today, in the USA specific legislation exists for management and deposition of animal excreta that impact bodies of water, the soil and the atmosphere, which is supervised and certified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In Canada the regulations for management and deposition of animal manure are no less rigorous. In Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Mexico regulation and government vigilance of the use and management of animal mature is scarce and confusing, specifying only certain norms for discharges of pollutants into water, while giving less importance to emissions into the atmosphere and soil, and there are no clear specifications related to animal manure.