[Anchor]

As scorching heatwaves exceeding 30 degrees Celsius continue day after day, livestock farmers are facing growing difficulties. This is because the risk of livestock death increases, along with a rise in complaints related to foul odors.

Reporter Choi Ho-won visited livestock farms that are putting all their efforts into hygiene management and odor removal.

[Reporter]

This is a pig farm located in Cheoin-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.

Amid the recent heatwave, the farm owner has been struggling 24 hours a day to lower the temperature inside the barns.

Fans and ventilation systems operate automatically according to the temperature set via smartphone.

Water is sprayed frequently to prevent the spread of bacteria through dust.

Thorough hygiene management, including odor removal, is essential for shipping healthy pigs.

When empty barns that have finished shipping are made to decompose manure by circulating liquid fertilizer packed with microorganisms, known as liquid manure, the foul odor is significantly reduced.

However, equipping facilities ranging from smart ventilation systems to liquid manure circulation and waste treatment systems requires a considerable investment starting from the barn design stage.

This farm has invested over 2 billion won over the course of several years, and as a result, the rate of shipping healthy pigs, or the raising rate, greatly exceeds the national average of around 80%.

[Jeong Byeong-chan / Representative, Pig Farming Corporation : Through the odor reduction we mentioned, we can minimize dangerous factors such as ammonia and hydrogen sulfide as much as possible. The figures... As a result, our current raising rate exceeds 98% every year.]

Productivity has increased, but that is not the only reason.

An odor-free, high-tech barn is an unavoidable choice to reduce the size of the workforce needed to operate the farm and to attract young workers.

[Ahn Yong-un / Representative, Smart Barn Installation Company : We notice that young farmers and second-generation farming households are showing a lot more interest. Lately, (our orders) seem to have increased by more than about 1.5 times, to the point where (the installation rate of smart barns) is approaching 50%.]

Gyeonggi Province hired six retired public officials in the livestock environment sector this year as "livestock environment managers" to provide customized consulting for each farm.

The province plans to support farms that receive consulting so they are sure to install smart odor-measuring equipment and reduction facilities.

(Video journalist: Jang Woon-seok | Footage provided by: Gyeonggi Provincial Government)