This study examined the levels of certain pollutants, primarily ammonia and particulate matter (PM), emitted by a commercial pig farm in Korea. Understanding these levels is

vital for reducing the environmental impact of pig farming and ensuring a sustainable future for this industry. Interestingly, the study found that previous guidelines in Korea might have overestimated these pollution levels, although the current findings are consistent with global research. Seasonal variations also impacted pollution levels: more ammonia was released in spring and autumn, while other pollutants increased in summer. Factors such as the number and age of the pigs significantly influenced these emission levels, as did airflow and ventilation. In essence, continued research in this area will help to improve pig farming practices in Korea, ensuring a balance between successful farming and environmental preservation.

The movement of animals is one of the primary factors that influence the variation of livestock emissions. This study also evaluated the relationship between animal activity and three major emissions, PM10, PM2.5, and ammonia gas, in weaning, growing, and fattening pig houses through continuous monitoring of the animal activity. The movement score of animals was quantified by the developed image analysis algorithm using 10-second video clips taken in the pig houses. The calculated movement scores were validated by comparison with six activity levels graded by an expert group. A comparison between PMs measurement and the movement scores demonstrated that an increase of the PMs concentrations was obviously followed by increased movement scores, for example, when feeding started. The PM10 concentrations were more affected by the animal activity compared to the PM2.5 concentrations, which were related to the inflow of external PM2.5 due to ventilation. The PM10 concentrations in the fattening house were 1.3 times higher than those in the weaning house because of the size of pigs while weaning pigs were more active and moved frequently compared to fattening pigs showing 2.45 times higher movement scores. The results also indicated that indoor ammonia concentration was not significantly influenced by animal activity. This study is significant in the sense that it could provide realistic emission factors of pig farms considering animal’s daily activity levels if further monitoring is carried out continuously.