Forum challenge : new plausible suggestions to dispose of farm animal effluent

[rogespeed]

Abstract :  Seems that Ireland is struggling with a growing mountain of pig & chicken effluent and as has become newsworthy maybe some suggestions from those of a region not immediately affected may be welcome

Poo overload: Northern Ireland could be forced to export a third of its animal waste (msn.com)

My suggestion is natural composting by burying slurry under pressure via hollow tyne chisel ploughs of appropriate design that are dragged behind septic type removal 6x6 trucks , and so burying tons at a time in fallow fields to allow thorough decomposition 

Out of sight , out of mind and no smell and a field of 4 leaf clovers ! 

I await forum peoples thoughts and ideas in this vexing non-political issue 

[imastawka]

Non-political?

It's a problem of their own making.

Solution?   

Stop eating pigs.

Poor Babe....or Maxell

[domino-710]

It's not termed the ' Emerald Isle ' - for nothing. 😂

[countessalmirena]

It can be composted without any issue. While cat and dog faeces can't be composted in the usual way (although there is a specific pet poo composting method - and I have it, as I'm passionate about reducing waste and reusing and recycling and composting, etc.), to the best of my knowledge the faeces and urine of farm animals such as pigs and sheep can easily be composted. Urine even adds a welcome shot of nitrogen to the compost bin. On a large scale, this stuff can be turned into beautifully rich compost for use throughout the entire community.

[chameleon54]

---

@rogespeed wrote:

I await forum peoples thoughts and ideas in this vexing non-political issue 

Unfortunately even farm manure has a major political element. The Problem is Dan Andrews cant help himself. In a bid to control every little thing ( and make things as difficult as possible for those " capitalist pig farmers "  😁 ), before his accident he even had to " Poke his nose into cow sh!t "   

https://www.farmonline.com.au/story/7121257/manure-as-industrial-waste-call-causes-farmer-dismay/

Dairy farmers have been safely spreading manure and  nitrate rich dairy wash down water on pastures for decades. The important thing is that a six week grazing witholding period is observed for nature to do its thing and break the waste down and kill any micro-organisms.  This has been happening without incident since cows where invented, but not any more. 

The Victorian government has decreed animal waste including dairy and pig waste and poultry litter an industrial pollutant that must be managed, recorded, disposed of and monitored and controlled in the same way as used, bulk sump oil or building waste. This will create an expensive green tape nightmare for farmers and risks wasting all of that nutrient rich manure to simply add to our already overburdened waste management system.

Crazy does'nt even begin to describe the morons who dreamed this one up.

[countessalmirena]

I read your link with interest, chameleon.

I wasn't aware of this proposed reclassification. I understand it's still in the draft stage...? It's certainly not something with which I agree. Manure and urine are valuable commodities.

I hear what you say about the "green tape nightmare", but (and that's assuming this goes through, I think) at least there is room for farmers to gain permission. The decision to provide an exception for farmers sending off or receiving more than 20 cubic metres of manure per month is baffling. Who has that much animal ordure? You'd be wading through it up to your knees...

I hope that a better outcome is achieved.

[chameleon54]

The Victorian farmers organisations have been campaigning very hard to stop this legislation for around 12 months now and it has been a major topic of discussion in the Victorian farm media. I must confess I havnt kept up to date on the progress of the legislation as I have had other fish to fry recently, but it was looking like going ahead last I heard..

The rules proposed are complex and as it only applies to Victoria ( A Dan Andrews " Initiative ") I havnt followed it  to much, but as I understand it, the legislation prevents farmers from stockpiling their own animal manure for use on farm without meeting all of the legislative requirements for the storage of industrial waste. The manure will need to be transported to a registered waste facility for composting ( perhaps hundreds of KM away ) and then trucked back to the farm to be spread as fertiliser. ( the 20 cubic metre rule ) Obviously the Victorian government hasnt heard of climate change.

The legislation also affects farmers who keep large numbers of old tyres to hold down top sheets ( Tarpaulins ) used in the storage of hay and silage. The legislation may well have been passed as it has recently been reported a Victorian farmer has already been taken to court over the storage of old tyres used for silage production.

Add in further Victorian Government legislation requiring any farmer with a lease on any waterway to be required to open up his property to anyone who wants to camp on the creek frontage for up to 28 days ( with unattended camp fires, town dogs near lambing or calving livestock and small children wandering amongst grazing cattle ) and farmers feel the Andrews Government is doing everything in its power to make life as difficult as possible for primary producers.

[colic2bullsgirlore]

Put a tiger turd in your tank

https://www.nswfarmers.org.au/NSWFA/Posts/The_Farmer/Environment/The_power_of_pig_poo.aspx

In 2011, Blantyre Farms began converting pig manure into renewable electricity with the installation of a methane digestion system, a huge feat for their business and a significant investment. The system captures methane gas generated from pig manure, and the gas is then turned into electricity. The system supplies 100% of the farms’ energy needs, with excess sold to the grid, saving the business about $29,000 a month in power and gas bills, and then bringing in $5,700 a month for excess power sold to the grid.

The project took a year to build, with a payback period of two years. And, as a former accountant, Edwina says she was pretty impressed with the financial results, with the piggeries protected from rising power prices – they even benefit from them. 

“The real value is not in buying power but providing our own power. I’m happy when the power price goes up, because I get paid more for the power I sell.”

FROM PIG POO TO POWER 

Pig manure is flushed from the sheds into a large digester dam covered in plastic, which Edwina says “looks like a big jumping castle”. There is a dam at each site and the largest, at the grower site, is 100m long and 40m wide, with a 15-million-litre carrying capacity that takes around three months to fill.

Beneath the plastic, anaerobic bacteria break down the organic matter, producing a methane-rich biogas. The biogas is then cleaned of impurities, including hydrogen sulphide, chilled to remove condensation and used as fuel to operate three 100kW biogas generators to produce electricity. 

[rogespeed]

seems the way to go - an on-farm solution , but i would suggest better to bury the resultant end waste for decomposition just under the surface rather than dumping on the surface , where heat , sunlight and wind may reduce effectiveness as a fertilizer