Project Page Views: [ 1045 ]
| Project Metadata Element | Details |
| Project Title | Duck slurry - Development of a Processing Plant for Recycling of Duck Slurry |
| Research Area | Water |
| Project Acronym | Duck slurry |
| Principal Investigator or Lead Irish Partner | Raphael Mc Evoy (IE) |
| Lead Institution or Organisation | Silver Hill Foods |
| Lead Country | Ireland |
| Latitude, Longitude (of Lead Institution) | 54.33510, -6.96068 |
| Lead Funding Entity | LIFE |
| Approximate Project Start Date | 01/11/2003 |
| Approximate Project Finishing Date | 31/10/2005 |
| Project Website (if any) | http://www.silverhillfoodslife-env.com/ |
| Links to other Web-based resources | |
| Project Keywords | Freshwater; Anthropogenic pressure; Agriculture; Diffuse pollution |
| Project Abstract | Background: The pollution of rivers and lakes is one of the major environmental problems in Ireland. Over the past 25 years the national monitoring programme of the Environmental Protection Agency has shown that waterways in Ireland suffer from widespread, though moderate, eutrophication. Surveys have shown the agriculture sector to be the major contributor to this problem because of the run-off of nitrogen and phosphorus from land spreading of animal wastes and artificial fertiliser. All animal slurries in Ireland are disposed of on land. This is acceptable where soil and climate conditions are suitable and the slurry application rate is managed in accordance with nutrient management plans. In the northeast Ireland around Silver Hill Foods the land has a poor capacity for sustainable application of animal slurries. Unfavourable factors include the hilly nature of the land, the wet climate and the presence of numerous streams and lakes. Because the land is generally poor and conventional extensive farming is uneconomical, farmers in the region have focused on intensive rearing of livestock, particularly poultry and pigs. Thus the region with the lowest potential for assimilation of animal wastes on land has the highest level of intensive animal production and the greatest production of animal slurries. Soil surveys have shown that existing nutrient levels in farmland are already very high from years of overloading with animal manures. The levels of water contamination in rivers in the area are such that virtually no expansion of intensive agriculture is now permitted in this area. The local authority for the area, Monaghan County Council, has established a task force to address the problem of sustainable disposal of animal and other organic wastes in the county. The quantity of waste arising at Silver Hill Foods (around 70,000 tonnes per year) and the quantity of land required for sustainable application (more than 3,000 ha) are such that the disposal operations pose a threat to water quality over a large area. Most of the land utilised for this purpose is over the nearby border with the UK and within the catchment area of Lough Neagh. This lake serves as the source of drinking water for Belfast and a number of other cities in Northern Ireland. As the largest lake in Ireland, it is also very important as a fishery and for tourism and leisure. Thus the application of an alternative technology to farm slurry disposal will contribute to an environmental improvement in two countries. In addition, the long-term storage of animal slurries in anaerobic lagoons causes the release of large quantities of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Ireland has signed the Kyoto Convention and because its greenhouse gas emissions are already above the required limits it must take firm action to reduce emissions below current levels. The widespread application of anaerobic digestion to farm wastes would make a valuable contribution to the goal of meeting national limits on greenhouse gases. Objectives: The aims of the project were to: *Develop a sustainable, cost-effective mechanism for the processing of duck slurry into a solid fertiliser. *Eliminate the potential problem of diffuse water contamination from existing land spreading operations. *Demonstrate a full-scale working model of the application of new technology to the management of animal wastes. *Reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases from storage and transport of duck slurry and, indirectly, from manufacture of artificial fertiliser. *Improve relationships with Environmental Regulatory Authorities in Ireland and the United Kingdom. |