An organic digester that was designed to enhance the fertiliser value of slurry has now been relaunched. Formerly called Ecoslurry, the powdered product is now branded as Epizym Pigs and Epizym Cattle.

It contains naturally occurring bacteria which become activated when mixed in warm water and added to 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,” says Stuart Aitkenhead, managing director of Epizym.  “This makes ammonia-N more readily available to the crops and boosts the organic fertiliser value of the slurry,” he explains.

The treated slurry can be stored until it is ready to be spread.

Dairy farmer John Pidsley calculates that the cattle version of the product saves him £4,000 in fertiliser costs on his small dairy farm a year.