TY - JOUR

T1 - Mitigation and current management attempts to limit pathogen survival and movement within farmed grassland.

AU - Oliver, David M.

AU - Heathwaite, A. L.

AU - Hodgson, Chris J.

AU - Chadwick, David R.

N1 - The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Advances in Agronomy 93 (1), 2007, © ELSEVIER.

PY - 2007

Y1 - 2007

N2 - To successfully curb microbial contamination of surface waters we need to understand, and holistically evaluate, the range of mitigation strategies that have been designed to protect watercourses from non-point agricultural sources, so as to use them to best effect. A cost-effective and pragmatic approach is to improve knowledge of farm management operations capable of (i) reducing potential pathogen numbers in livestock manures and (ii) reducing subsequent transfer (through the environment) of fecal micro-organisms derived from livestock manures that are recycled to land. This will prove important for supporting farmer decision making, devising policy and implementing mitigation practices to limit fecal micro-organism delivery from land to water. In this chapter, we consider a diverse suite of manure, animal and land management options that range from simple manure composting techniques and the use of slurry additives, through to land management engineering approaches and the design of constructed wetlands to protect watercourses from microbial contamination. The choice as to which strategy to use, if any, is ultimately made by the farmer and is likely to be influenced by a complex range of factors which may include, for example, tradition, convenience and farm economics. We conclude that the inherent complexity associated with heterogeneous landscapes confounds the likelihood that a single management strategy will provide complete protection of receiving waters from microbial contamination. Instead, the coupling of different strategies alongside improved education and considerable vigilance by farmers and land-owners is needed for a more sustainable approach to limiting diffuse microbial (and, crucially, other contaminant) pollution from agriculture.

AB - To successfully curb microbial contamination of surface waters we need to understand, and holistically evaluate, the range of mitigation strategies that have been designed to protect watercourses from non-point agricultural sources, so as to use them to best effect. A cost-effective and pragmatic approach is to improve knowledge of farm management operations capable of (i) reducing potential pathogen numbers in livestock manures and (ii) reducing subsequent transfer (through the environment) of fecal micro-organisms derived from livestock manures that are recycled to land. This will prove important for supporting farmer decision making, devising policy and implementing mitigation practices to limit fecal micro-organism delivery from land to water. In this chapter, we consider a diverse suite of manure, animal and land management options that range from simple manure composting techniques and the use of slurry additives, through to land management engineering approaches and the design of constructed wetlands to protect watercourses from microbial contamination. The choice as to which strategy to use, if any, is ultimately made by the farmer and is likely to be influenced by a complex range of factors which may include, for example, tradition, convenience and farm economics. We conclude that the inherent complexity associated with heterogeneous landscapes confounds the likelihood that a single management strategy will provide complete protection of receiving waters from microbial contamination. Instead, the coupling of different strategies alongside improved education and considerable vigilance by farmers and land-owners is needed for a more sustainable approach to limiting diffuse microbial (and, crucially, other contaminant) pollution from agriculture.

KW - agriculture

KW - animal manure

KW - non-point source pollution

KW - diffuse pollution

KW - land management

KW - livestock grazing manure management

KW - mitigation

KW - pathogens

KW - source

KW - transfer

KW - die-off

KW - faeces

U2 - 10.1016/S0065-2113(06)93003-X

DO - 10.1016/S0065-2113(06)93003-X

M3 - Journal article

VL - 93

SP - 95

EP - 152

JO - Advances in Agronomy

JF - Advances in Agronomy

SN - 0065-2113

IS - 1

ER -