IMPROVING the VALUE and SUSTAINABILITY of LAYING HEN MANURE MAY 2019 B R R E It Rt Is O H P F R P E U E S

A BRITISH FREE RANGE EGG PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION SUSTAINABILITY SCHEME REPORT IMPROVING THE VALUE AND SUSTAINABILITY OF LAYING HEN MANURE MAY 2019 B r r e it rt is o h p F r p e u e S R d a l GOLD SPONSORS n o g G e : n E g o i t g a i P c r o o d s s u c A e s r www.forfarmers.co.uk www.hfandp.co.uk www.ljfairburnpoultry.co.uk www.newquip.co.uk www.noblefoods.co.uk www.scruttonblandinsurance.co.uk www.stonegate.co.uk www.vencomatic.co.uk r Br e it rt is o h p F r p e u e S r R a e SILVER SPONSORS n v l i g S e : E n g o i g t a P i r c o o d s s u c A e s r www.msd-animal-health.co.uk www.zoetis.co.uk r Br e it t is r h o p F r p e u e S R e a z n BRONZE SPONSORS n g o r e B E : g n g o i t P a r i o c d o u s c s e A r s www.4pe.co.uk www.es.bayer.co.uk www.birdbroseggs.co.uk www.boehringer-ingelheim.com www.bowlereggs.co.uk www.countryfreshpullets.com www.drapervent.com www.elancoanimalhealth.co.uk www.fridays.co.uk www.hn-int.com www.harbro.co.uk www.harlow-poultry-houses.co.uk www.hipra.com www.hy-line.co.uk www.joiceandhill.co.uk www.lohmanngb.co.uk www.oaklandsfarmeggs.co.uk www.peregrinefinance.co.uk www.potterspoultry.co.uk www.premiernutrition.co.uk Worshipful Company of Poulters Charitable Trust www.stdavids-poultryteam.co.uk www.steewe.co.uk Tel: 01954 253800 www.poulters.org.uk www.wotapullet.co.uk A BRITISH FREE RANGE EGG PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION SUSTAINABILITY SCHEME REPORT 03 Contents Executive Summary 04 1 Introduction 08 1.1 Poultry manure: resource or waste? 09 1.2 Changing legislative requirements 10 1.3 Alternative uses of poultry manures 11 1.4 Aims of this report 12 2 Key legislation and impacts on land spreading 14 2.1 Nitrate vulnerable zones (NVZs) 15 2.2 Environmental permitting 19 2.3 Farming rules for water 21 2.4 Clean air strategy 22 3 Fertiliser values of poultry manure 23 3.1 Nutrient content of poultry manures 25 3.2 Poultry manure values 27 3.3 Maximizing fertiliser value - housing and management factors 28 4 Alternative uses of poultry manure 32 4.1 Incineration 34 4.2 Drying and pelleting 46 4.3 Composting 55 4.4 Anaerobic digestion 64 5 Conclusions 78 6 Photographs 86 Authors Jason Gittins Jon Walton ADAS Unit 10D, Cefn Llan Science Park, Aberystwyth SY23 3AH EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A BRITISH FREE RANGE EGG PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION SUSTAINABILITY SCHEME REPORT 05 This report provides a practical guide for Added to this are the impacts of recent trends farmers who are currently spreading poultry in the free range sector. In certain parts of the manure onto their own land, exporting it to country, there are now large numbers of land operated by others or considering farms with free range egg production alternative uses for it. enterprises. Locally, this can mean a surplus of poultry manure relative to fertiliser The background is a changing legislative and requirements on neighbouring land and policy landscape which is likely to impact in therefore additional manure haulage costs. future upon both manure utilisation methods and new poultry housing systems. For producers who are currently The Farming Rules for Water (announced by land-spreading poultry manure, this report Defra in 2018) seek to tackle diffuse pollution has estimated the current value of key from agriculture and include new nutrients contained (nitrogen, phosphorus requirements on land spreading and and potassium). At 50% manure dry matter preventing pollution risk. The Clean Air content, the value is likely to be between £20 Strategy (launched by Defra early in 2019) and £26 per tonne according to application sets out new rules to minimise pollution from time and method. A key variable is the dry organic and inorganic fertiliser use. It matter content of the manure. Further introduces the issue of mandatory design calculations show that at 80% dry matter, the standards for new poultry housing. value rises to £41 per tonne. These prices relate to the value of the nutrients contained 06 in the manure and they therefore exclude the considered only by very large free range costs of haulage and land-spreading. producers (over 100,000 birds) or by local groups operating on a collaborative basis. In a review of alternative uses for poultry manure, the report considers manure 2 Drying and pelleting incineration, drying and pelleting, Drying laying hen manure increases its composting and anaerobic digestion. The nutrient value and makes it easier to outputs from these processes can be handle. The process can use air from the summarised as either i) a dry, solid product poultry house or waste heat from other which is easier to store, handle and spread sources such as anaerobic digestion or than ‘fresh’ poultry manure and therefore has incineration. Drying systems can be set up greater potential value or ii) a fuel which can next to the poultry house and the smallest be used to generate electricity or heat, available is considered suitable for 12,000 together with a residual product which also birds. Once dried, pelleting the manure has a saleable value. can then add further value through sale as a fertiliser for commercial or domestic use. The report provides a concise profile of each Pelleting systems are more expensive to process and the conclusions section includes install and run than drying systems and it a ‘side-by-side’ comparison in the form of a is considered that a minimum of around single table. A brief outline of each process is 64,000 birds would be needed to justify provided below. the costs. 1 Incineration 3 Composting Dry manures (over 55% dry matter) can be Poultry manure can be composted but it incinerated to provide on-farm heat or to needs to be combined with a carbon-rich generate electricity that can be used material to optimise the process. The either on-farm or exported to the grid. economic model for composting normally Payments may be received from relies on a gate fee being charged for government incentive schemes such as incoming raw materials such as ‘green the Feed in Tariff (FIT) and the Renewable waste’. This can provide a substantial part Heat Incentive (RHI). The residual ash also (or all) of the revenue received. Although has a saleable value. Capital costs are high the compost itself has useful fertiliser and therefore this method is likely to be value, the prices obtained for it are often A BRITISH FREE RANGE EGG PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION SUSTAINABILITY SCHEME REPORT 07 low. Low capital cost ‘windrow’ systems costs could encourage and hasten change in can be used for composting and this can the sector. For on-farm systems that produce be undertaken outdoors on a concrete heat (such as incineration and anaerobic base or within an existing building, if digestion), there are opportunities to use a available. However the process is likely to proportion of this to provide warmth to free be quicker and better controlled if more range houses at certain times of the year. This expensive ‘in-vessel’ systems are used. could provide added benefits including reduced ammonia and drier manure and litter. 4 Anaerobic digestion Anaerobic digestion takes organic If high capital costs continue to make materials (generally wastes) and in investment in alternative uses for manure anaerobic conditions, produces gas which ‘out-of-reach’ for smaller producers, there is used for energy generation. The may be increased interest in collaborative digestion process makes a more approaches. A model could be developed homogenous and stable product from the whereby a manure handling facility is original feedstock and this can be used as established at a central site, serving the a fertiliser. The high nitrogen content of needs of a number of local producers, who poultry manure generally limits its would all supply manure to it. inclusion within a feedstock mix to 20% although new technological Such an approach could also become developments aim to allow the use of up increasingly attractive if future controls mean to 100% poultry manure in future. In that farmers cannot continue indefinitely addition, laying hen manure contains with their current land spreading activities. calcium grit which is unsuitable for use in AD unless the system enables grit extraction. The report finds that in general, capital costs of ‘alternative’ manure utilisation systems are high and that there is a lack of systems tailored to smaller producers. The Clean Air Strategy indicates that future support may be available to farmers (although the details are not yet available) and assistance with capital 1 INTRODUCTION A BRITISH FREE RANGE EGG PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION SUSTAINABILITY SCHEME REPORT 09 1.1 Poultry manure: resource or waste? Poultry manure and used litter are inevitable emissions and potential fly infestations are by-products of free range egg production. avoided. They can be viewed either as a valuable resource – for use on farm or sold to third For producers with little or no additional land parties - or alternatively as a waste to be for spreading, suitable arrangements must disposed of. be made with recipient neighbouring farmers. In some areas with high poultry It is well-known that manure and used litter populations and limited available land this from poultry is a valuable source of the plant may be difficult and the potential saleable nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium value of the manure can be offset by high and sulphur.

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