*5.1.2 Processing facilities*

In the recent years, a sizeable number of milk processing plants is in operations. These plants pollute the surrounding environment and contribute to climate change by adding solid waste, liquid waste, soil pollution and noise, and air emissions. Of these, wastewater from washing and cleaning operations is the greatest pollutant, and is estimated to be between 5.5 and 30 cubic meter for every cubic meter of milk processed at a typical dairy unit [18, 19].

### **5.2 Awareness and understanding of environmental consequences**

There is a lack of understanding for environmental consequences of livestock in developing countries and the situation in Pakistan is no different, as demonstrated by the Livestock Policy's (2007) failure to consider environment. Awareness and understanding of the environmental consequences of dairying are extremely limited in almost all sectors, especially the government sector and small-scale farming. The focus is on the more obvious contamination, such as flies and odor, rather than the serious threats of land degradation, water pollution, biodiversity erosion, and global climate change.
