Introduction
- Over the last 2 years, complaints from residents in Choa Chu Kang about smell nuisance from the poultry farms in Sungei Tengah have intensified. The government has concluded that to alleviate the smell nuisance, the poultry farms must invest in further upgrading of facilities and put in smell control equipment. With these measures, it is expected that the smell nuisance will be resolved within a year. As a goodwill gesture, the Government will offer ex-gratia payments to poultry farmers who do not wish to continue farming because of the additional investments.
Poultry Farms in Sungei Tengah
- There are currently 4 poultry farms with some 1.2 million chickens in Sungei Tengah. They were established in 1987 on 20-year leases to produce eggs for the Singapore market. With the development of Choa Chu Kang (CCK) Town, complaints received from residents about smell nuisance from the farms increased from 20 in 1999 to 146 in 2000.
Cause of Smell Nuisance
- A study carried out by a consultant of the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) has established that the major cause of the smell is the improper handling and improper composting of poultry waste by the farms. The smell can be detected as far away as 3.5 km from the farms. This covers the whole of CCK Town. The study concluded that the 4 poultry farms, as managed today, could not be free of smell nuisance. For the farms to be made smell nuisance-free, they will need to upgrade to fully enclosed buildings with proper systems to treat the poultry waste and the air escaping from the buildings.
Voluntary Early Closure/Continue Operation
- In land scarce Singapore, land must be optimally developed and utilised for the benefit of all. As urban development comes closer to the farms, farming methods must also improve so that farms can co-exist with housing and other urban developments.
- The poultry farms in Sungei Tengah are aware of this need and the larger ones have in fact started to convert their traditional open poultry houses to fully enclosed ones and introduced technologies to treat their poultry waste. However, they need to do more to contain the smell effectively.
- To alleviate the smell nuisance, poultry farms that opt to continue operation will have to up-grade to fully enclosed poultry houses and install smell control equipment within one year, that is by 19 Apr 2002. However, not all the poultry farms may want to invest further, or some of the farms may decide that the additional investments may render their business less profitable. In view of this, the government has decided, as a goodwill gesture, to offer ex-gratia payments to the 4 poultry farms at Sungei Tengah if they volunteer to close down early, that is by 19 Apr 2002.
Impact of voluntary closure of Sungei Tengah Poultry Farms On Egg Supply
- The early closure of the 4 Sungei Tengah poultry farms will have no adverse impact on our egg supply. They supply only 15% of our total consumption of 1.1 billions eggs a year, which can be replaced by higher imports and increased production from the 4 Lim Chu Kang/Murai poultry farms. AVA will also step up effort to establish alternative sources of shelled eggs and encourage more commercial operations to switch to pasteurised liquid egg.
Appeal for Understanding and Patience from Residents
- It is understandable for residents in Choa Chu Kang to want the smell nuisance removed quickly. However, the 4 poultry farms must be given a reasonable period of time to upgrade to fully enclosed poultry houses and put in the smell control measures. AVA and ENV would therefore like to seek the understanding and patience of the residents.
- AVA and ENV are confident that with the understanding and co-operation of the 4 farms, the smell nuisance can be removed. During this one year period, AVA and ENV will monitor the 4 poultry farms closely.
Issued by Agri-food and Veterinary Authority
19 Apr 2001
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