Finally, more than a year after the Council of Ministers for Sustainability pronounced favourably on the Final Draft, the Odour Emission Regulation for the Pig Sector in Chile is now published in the Chilean Official Journal, and therefore, as of today, there is a new legislation and odour limits for the pig sector in Chile.

   The Odour Emission Regulation for the Pig Sector will be applicable for the whole Chilean territory, for the emitting sources defined as breeding, fattening and/or reproduction plants of pigs whose number is equal to or greater than 750 animals and whose weight is greater than 25 kilograms. This new regulation defines three sets of facilities. Those between 750 and 25,000 animals (small units), those between 25,000 and 50,000 (medium units), and those over 50,000 animals (large units). In addition, certain differences are also made between existing and new farms.

 Table 1: Summary of the limits on the new regulation for Chilean Pig Sector.

   During the development of the draft, several important points of this new regulation have been modified. Previously, the stock was classified according to the number of animals between 750 and 12,500, between 12,500 and 25,000 or more than 25,000. In addition to the classification, the limits on receptors were set at 3 or 5 odour units, depending on whether the activity was existing or non-existing, for farms with more than 25,000 pigs. These are just some of the changes that the regulation has undergone throughout its development until 6 February 2023, when it was published in the Official Journal, and therefore, it is already law.

   Another important piece of news is that also since 6 February, the "Preliminary Draft Regulation on pollutant emissions in fishmeal and fish oil and fish feed plants" is now available for public consultation, which will have a period of sixty (60) working days, where any person may make comments on the draft, which must be justified and submitted through an electronic platform.

   As you know, the Chilean Government has been following an Odour Management Strategy in Chile since 2014, mainly as a result of the Freirina case, in which a prioritisation of potential odour-generating activities was established:

• Pig farms (Regulation published on 6 February 2023).
• Seafood processing (preliminary draft published on 6 February 2023)
• Sewage treatment plants
• Pulp mills
• Waste landfill sites

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