New rules stop slurry kicking up big stink

One aspect of the new IPPC regulations is odour control. Measures must be taken to prevent or minimise odour emissions so that ‘sensitive receptors’ – people in houses, hospitals and schools close by - are not affected by the smell. Some farms will have to prepare an odour management plan, which once written up, must then be adhered to. There will be spot checks.

How farmers manage their slurry systems to prevent or minimise emissions is being looked at closely. Regulations abound for new slurry systems, such as minimum tank storage capacity recommended at four months production (including rainwater) and tanks must henceforth be covered.

However, existing storage systems, without covers, haven’t escaped the regulator’s eye. New rules include minimising the stirring of slurry, as this increases the release of odour into the air, even though it’s recognised that slurry needs to be mixed in order to spread it on the land.

While composting and slurry separation are options for complying with the new IPPC rules, both can prove time consuming and expensive. Another route is to use a slurry additive.  These products liquefy and deodorise slurry at the same time, significantly reducing odour and making slurry more manageable and valuable by boosting its fertiliser value.

One such product, Epizym, has been proved to reduce gross odour emissions by 53% and by 55% per kg pig liveweight. The Silsoe Research Institute ran the odour assessment trial in their dynamic Olfactometer unit, using pig slurry taken from a trial run at the ADAS Climate House. “The results were superb – proof that odour levels can be halved. This product can really help pig farmers meet their IPPC odour levels quickly and simply”, says principal agricultural consultant for Epizym Giles Dadd.

Through its controlled micro biological and enzymatic activity, Epizym reduces odour formation through removing the floor solids where odours are formed and stored and also by acting on odours generated. It is totally different from conventional odour suppressing chemicals in that it functions directly on the source of the odour by enzymatically changing the molecular structure of the odour-causing compounds. Indole and skatole, two of the most potent, penetrating odourisers found in animal waste, are enzymatically reduced to odourless compounds through bio-oxidation with Epizym. Organic amines, which produce some of the most offensive odours, are totally destroyed in the process.

Richard Allwood runs a dairy herd of 140 in Shrewsbury and produces milk for cheese. Although the new IPPC rules do not apply to dairy farms, he’s been pleased with the reduction in odour on his farm since using Epizym slurry additive.

“I was interested in the promise that Epizym would reduce odour,” says Richard, “The reduction in smell is a really good benefit. I’ve moved to a more rural area now but I used to have a farm with neighbours. They were happy once I started to use the Epizym, as is my wife to this day."

“I also had a crust on my slurry which the product claimed to alleviate. After six weeks of use, the crust had reduced by at least 50%.  I’ve used it ever since.”

Richard is also pleased with the savings made on the farm as a result of using the additive. “It has definitely saved me money. I save 30 units of bagged fertiliser per acre on the first cut alone. I have saved on contractor costs and do much of the mixing myself now. Using Epizym has drastically reduced the amount of time this takes me so I can do other things.

For more information on odour reduction and slurry management, contact Epizym on 0800 083 0614 or visit www.epizym.com.