Current Situation of Livestock in Siirt Province and Environmental Impacts

Abstract

In this study, current conditions of cattle manure, manure storage units, problems of manure storage and interaction with the water resources around Siirt Province were examined. For this purpose, 133 livestock enterprises were chosen. 92 percent of these enterprises did not have manure storage and uncontrolled manure accumulations were observed. These manure accumulations were limiting animal movement and they posed a risk to the animal health. In Siirt province, livestock enterprises can be grouped as the number of cattle they have: 35 percent of the businesses had 1-7 cattle and 36 percent of the businesses had 8-14 cattle, 19 percent of the businesses had 15-21 and 10 percent of the businesses had >21 cattle. To determine the environmental pollution caused by livestock barns and their possible solutions in Siirt province, a survey was conducted. The results were compared with the literature and suggestions were made. In this study, we have examined the present conditions of solid and liquid manure storages found in the barns of stockbreeding companies, storage problems, utilization of manure and environmental pollution. According to the questionnaire results obtained from the study area, 92% of the companies do not have manure storage and the present manure storages are not sufficient for the companies.