Development of odour emissions model for Australian feedlots

Summary

Odour emissions from feedlots remain a contentious issue and, consequently, have been the subject of significant research. Despite this research, there is a paucity of reliable, quantitative data, measured using acceptable standards, on odour emissions arising directly from beef cattle feedlots. In 2003, MLA funded the FLOT.323 project called 'Development of odour performance criteria for the Australian feedlot industry'. It was completed in 2004. That project aimed to develop industry-specific odour nuisance guidelines for the beef feedlot industry in New South Wales and Queensland but there were some uncertainties in the conclusions of that study. That uncertainty negated any adoption of the methodology by the state regulatory agencies.
This project (B.FLT.0369) aims to fill in the gaps, improve on the knowledge obtained from this previous FLOT.323 project and to publish the results. Due to the large volume of work, this project reporting has been divided into seven sub-reports (A to G). This Part A Report includes a literature review of odour studies at feedlots and includes all of the feedlot odour emission data collected in FLOT.323. Over 250 odour samples were collected from two feedlots over a summer and winter period. Odour samples were collected from pens, holding ponds, sedimentation basins and sundry sources.