A familiar method of dealing with slurry on farms at the present
time is an “umbilical” pipe being pumped from the store to a tractor
mounted spreading device in the field.
This scheme plans to develop a dewatering and purification system to manage slurry.
Driving the project are Coleg Sir Gâr’s Gelli Aur agricultural campus
and Power and Water, a Swansea-based company specialising in
electrochemical-based water treatments who claim the project will apply
innovative and proven concept technology to reduce air and water
pollution to reduce the overall volume of slurry by up to 80 per cent.
A de-watering and purification system is used to filter slurry,
transforming the water to a suitable quality for recycling or
discharging to a clean watercourse. The system will also utilise
nutrients from the slurry to produce good quality fertiliser.
John Owen, manager at the Carmarthenshire college’s farm, said: “With
the intensification of the dairy industry, slurry management is becoming
an increasing issue for farmers and the environment.
“We aim to reduce significantly the risk of air and water pollution
at the same time as maximising the recycling nutrient value. This
development process will considerably reduce storage of slurry on farms
as well as handling costs.
“Efficiently extracting nutrients from manures could save on the cost
of commercial fertilisers and reduce serious environmental impact.
However poor manure management can cause pollutants, including
nutrients, to enter the water cycle through run-off or drainage.”
The project also aims to design, develop and validate economically
viable systems that will be made available commercially and used on
farms.
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) states that the number of pollution
incidents attributed to livestock farms across Wales has fluctuated
between 85 and 120 for each of the last six years.
Wet winters and a significant downturn in the dairy market have added
to the pressure on the environment and farmers; reducing their capacity
to invest in slurry and silage store management and over 60% of the
incidents involving pollution during the last three years, not least
within the milk field of West Wales.