The vast majority of poultry farms in NSW are located on the outskirts of the Sydney metropolitan area, the Hunter Valley and Central Coast with smaller numbers of farms in the Tamworth, north coast, southern highlands and Griffith areas. The environmental effects of poultry farming most commonly impact on community amenity, particularly odour, noise, light and visual impact. These are exacerbated by urban and rural residential encroachment into traditional poultry farming areas. Pig production is largely focused west of the dividing range and centred on the grain belt, central west and south west slopes, and north west slopes and plains. However, significant pig numbers occur in the Sydney basin and far north coast.
Piggeries can generate odours, nutrient pollution and land degradation.
Odour is generally only a problem when piggeries are located near residential areas. Nutrient pollution occurs when organic wastes are disposed of on land, potentially causing excessive build-up of nutrients in the soil and subsequent pollution of ground and surface waters. Organic wastes also contain other components such as sodium, which can cause a breakdown in soil structure. Feedlots are generally located in the grain belt. At present most of the feedlots are under 10,000 head in size, although new developments tend to be larger.