Coexisting in an agricultural environment

Urban sprawl is an ever more present reality in Québec. Suburbs are expanding, new developments are going up, and residents are finding themselves ever closer to farmlands. Folks in neighbourhoods that border farms soon realize there can be drawbacks to living alongside certain types of agricultural production. In recent decades, odours—the main cause of complaints to municipal authorities—have become a source of conflict with farmers.

Reconcile the needs of agricultural producers and their neighbours

Given that agriculture is a major economic driver and that global demand for agricultural commodities is on the rise, IRDA seeks to reconcile the needs of agricultural producers and their neighbours so they can coexist in harmony while allowing producers to pursue effective and eco-friendly agricultural practices.

IRDA’s R&D team specializes in the control of contaminants and odours arising from farm buildings and the advancement of knowledge on this topic. The team has assessed the effectiveness of a broad range of practices and developed new solutions for producers in these areas:

Treating and reducing odours at the source
Using separation distances
Comparing fertilizer spreading techniques
Changing animal diets and the use of feed additives
Managing and treating manure

A proprietary air scrubbing system

IRDA has even developed a biofilter system to treat building air. Its performance has been demonstrated under real operating conditions—ammonia, dust, and odour emissions were cut by up to 92%. Air treatment units lower contaminant emissions from livestock buildings, lessen environmental impacts, and may even lead to greater social acceptance of swine farm expansion plans.