Poultry farms in the Vallesina area

RESPECTING THE LOCAL AREA AND CONTAINMENT OF ODOURS

The farms of the Fileni Group have been designed, approved and built in accordance with national and regional regulations on distances from urban areas and are subject to constant health checks by the Authorities and Supervisory Bodies.

We are aware that, despite the many measures we adopt to contain odours, in certain phases of the production cycle and particularly during the summer, with certain specific weather conditions (e.g. low pressure, changing winds, etc.), these odours may be perceived by citizens living nearby.

We would like to highlight that although these odours are sporadic, perceived subjectively and do not represent a health risk, the company is constantly committed to containing them through ongoing investments and cutting-edge solutions. In fact, the company has installed an odour-control system that is the only one of its kind in Italy, and which uses a nebuliser system to capture the majority of particulates emitted by ventilation equipment.

In addition, it is important to highlight certain objective, measurable facts:

1. In the last 30 years no increase has been recorded in the density of animals present in the Vallesina area. Fileni farms are generally — having always been used as sites for commercial animal farming — conversions or expansions of old farms already used for poultry, pigs or cattle. Therefore, land use for farms is minimised.
2. In addition to limited land use, in recent years in the Vallesina area a lot of the land has been converted to organic farming, generating a significant reduction in the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, promoting enrichment of the soil and biodiversity, which Fileni also contributes to as a producer and user of organic grain and organic feeds.
3. We would also like to highlight that, according to official public data recorded by the Regional Environmental Protection Agency for the entire Marche region (ARPAM), including the Vallesina area, in the last ten years there has been no significant change — and actually a small decrease — in the concentrations of particulates (PM10 and PM2.5) and ammonia in the area. With regard to ammonia emissions, it is important to understand that there is no legal limit, neither nationally nor at European level. Only one set of guidelines exist from the World Health Organisation that propose, but do not establish any obligation for, an average daily value for ammonia of 270 µg/m3. This value — as reported by ARPAM — is always respected with a wide margin by Fileni farms.