NEWS

Poultry litter land storage
By Steven Moore

Farmers can continue to store poultry litter in heaps on the land until the end of 2010.
The European Union has given its permission for the extension until December next year while an off-farm solution is being sorted.
That, effectively, will be the proposed power plant at Glenavy which, members of the Stormont Agriculture Committee were told, remains the only option currently under consideration.
Under EU regulations, the storing of poultry waste on the land ceased to be permitted elsewhere at the end of last year.
However, with no alternative in place, Northern Ireland was allowed to continue the practice into this year.
The approval by the EU until 2010 means that farmers, including those who take delivery of poultry litter for use on the land, will not fall foul of cross-compliance regulations.
In Europe, storage is usually in the form of built bins, the committee was told, while in Great Britain most waste was used as fuel in power generators with one English plant alone using 400,000 tons a year and a Scottish incinerator burning 115,000 tons.
DARD officials said it would depend on the progress made in securing an off-farm solution what happen to the poultry litter after 2010.
The poultry sector, both directly and indirectly, employs 4,500 people.
The Nitrates Action Programme (Amendment) Regulations 2009 are not likely to move to the next stage.
Meanwhile, it has been claimed the Glenavy area will benefit from more than 300 construction jobs, some 30 plant management and operator posts and £25 million of investment if the Rose Energy project is given the go-ahead.
The construction of the £100 million plus biomass power station, which will use poultry litter as fuel to generate one third of Northern Ireland's target for despatchable green energy, will provide a significant economic boost for the local area, the company said.
However, the Communities Against the Lough Neagh Incinerator said the project was fatally flawed and accused the company of dangling "30 pieces of silver" in front of the community.


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October 16th 2009
October 9th 2009