Organic slurry digester, Ecoslurry, is rebranding as Epizym in a return to the name of the company that introduced it and has supplied it to UK farmers since the early 1990s. Taking place this autumn, the rebrand is part of a push to boost product awareness and call for would-be distributors of the product to come forward.
The company’s two core products, Epizym Cattle and Epizym Pigs, are proven to liquefy slurry, reduce odour emissions and boost fertiliser value. Slurry is kept as a homogenous mix, making it ready to put on the land at any time in the optimum consistency for the nitrogen content to be used by plants. This can drastically reduce the need for bought-in fertiliser by dairy farmers.
Stuart Aitkenhead, managing director of Epizym, comments, “our products have been proved time and again to save dairy farmers significant amounts of money and time. Rebranding the company and extending our distributor network to give nationwide coverage is key to ensuring farmers know there’s a solution out there to their slurry problems.”
Pig farmer John Gray is based on West Mersea island in Essex and has been using Epizym Pigs for over ten years. “Using Epizym Pigs has saved me over £6,000 a year in reduced fertiliser costs and since 1995 I haven’t needed contractors to come in and deal with the slurry. My aim is to have production costs as low as anyone in Europe. Using Epizym is central to achieving this on my farm.”
John Pidsley runs a small all grassland unit near Ledsham, supporting 60 milkers and 30 young stock. “Our chopped straw wasn’t breaking down effectively and caused a thick crust on our 160,000 gallon tank. We emptied the tank three times a year and each time, after several days of mixing, we still had blockages. Since using Epizym Cattle we have very little crust and the slurry has a far more even consistency, even before mixing, which I do myself now in under two hours.
“I’ve saved £4,000 each year in fertiliser costs alone against a cost of only £350 for the Epizym Cattle. That’s a total saving of nearly £30,000 since I started to use it in 1997.”
Epizym products are 100% organic, non-GM and completely environmentally friendly, making them ideal for organic farming. The non-toxic, non-corrosive powder contains specially selected, naturally occurring bacteria, which activate when mixed in warm water and added to the liquid fraction of stored slurry. The reactivated bacteria use the slurry as a food source, breaking down the particles to produce a more liquid mix, capturing ammonia and reducing odours.
Stuart Aitkenhead adds, “in trials, the capture of ammonia by the bacteria increased by as much as 57%. This makes ammonia-N more readily available to the crops and boosts the organic fertiliser value of the slurry.”
Agricultural consultant and long time distributor Giles Dadd is helping to bring on board new distributors for the product. “We’re taking on new specialists who can support and advise farmers on slurry management. The key is a farming background and the willingness to go up farmers’ drives and listen to their slurry problems or needs.” The company is recruiting now and urges would be distributors to visit their website at www.epizym.com/distributors.
The rebranding to Epizym is being handled by Tunbridge Wells based consultancy Be*interactive. A new logo, website (www.epizym.com) and literature have been developed. “We’re making the most of the fact that the products are completely in tune with the environment – non-GM, 100% organic, non-toxic. The new branding has been developed very much with this in mind.”
Farmers wanting more information on the products should call 0800 083 0614 or visit www.epizym.com.
