NI farmers have spent millions on low emission slurry spreading equipment (LESSE) to help reduce ammonia, but potentially there are greater wins to be had by tackling the issue at source, a leading specialist in livestock housing has suggested.
Speaking at an event last Thursday to mark 50 years in business for Teemore Engineering, sales manager Ray Foy outlined how he believes the company can influence two major challenges farmers face.
The first is helping to design and fit out buildings that reduce the number of animals that get ill and need antibiotics.
The second is around the issue of ammonia, an air pollutant that negatively impacts the environment and human health.
Ray Foy, Teemore sales manger. \ Houston Green
In NI, 97% of ammonia emissions come from agriculture. Concerns around ammonia deposition at sensitive sites in NI have effectively led to a block in planning for new livestock sheds.
Manure
Ammonia is created when faeces and urine mix. Of the total agriculture emissions, nearly two-thirds are related to the management of manure in a shed and how it is spread on land.
According to Foy, the aim of new innovation in livestock housing is to get the urine out of the building within two minutes and store it separately from the faeces.
“If we stop the problem at the first point, then we don’t have an ammonia problem in storage or when spreading. There are different options coming for different farming situations. We solve it at source,” said Foy.
A potential option could be rubber mats placed over slatted tanks with small holes that allow the urine to drop through, with the faeces then scraped into a separate store.
Alternatively, French company, Bioret Agri, has been working on number of other solutions.
Addressing last Thursday’s event, Jean-Vincent Bioret highlighted a rubber flooring system that comes with a 3% slope, allowing urine to run towards a suction point where it is collected by a robot every 60 to 90 minutes.
Jean-Vincent Bioret director, Bioret Agri. \ Houston Green
Bioret also has a Magellan grooved floor that encourages the movement of urine towards collection facilities, while the company is continuing to work on a new innovation called Delta X.
It is a belt system set into a channel in the floor. The floor is sloped towards the channel, where the belt picks up the faeces, taking it to one end of the house for collection and the urine to the other.
The company claims that it can cut ammonia emissions by up to 70%.
According to Foy, the aim of new innovation in livestock housing is to get the urine out of the building within two minutes and store it separately from the faeces
There are also animal health benefits, with cows’ feet kept dry and cubicle beds kept clean, reducing mastitis, etc.
But these technologies come with significant cost and if Government wants rapid change, financial support might be necessary.
“The farmer needs to make money as well. Otherwise, to speak about environmental change is useless. Nobody will do it – we have to be honest,” acknowledged Bioret.
Mattresses
His company also produces a water-based mattress sold by Teemore.
As well as improved comfort, Bioret maintained that the mattress allows the cow to better transmit heat out of the body, mimicking what is happening when cows are at pasture.
“You always have 70 to 80% relative humidity – when combined with higher temperatures, it leads to thermal stress.
“The best temperature for a dairy cow is 10oC (5oo Farenheit) – when you feel hot, the cow is literally dying,” said Bioret.
High value on good calf health
Livestock housing specialist, Jamie Robertson, has been working with Teemore in the design of the company’s new Mono Calf building.
It comes fitted out with plastic panels for ease of cleaning and with an optimum roof angle to improve air flow.
Speaking at the event last Thursday, Robertson highlighted the importance of having fresh air in the building (utilising Yorkshire cladding), while avoiding draughts.
‘Green tin’ overuse
He was critical of the over-use of “green tin” on local farms, claiming that it traps in moisture, leading to damp beds, and he highlighted the importance of having vent tubes to create air flow on still days.
Jamie Robertson. \ Houston Green
“Don’t buy the cheapest one [ventilation system], buy the one that works. You live in a very difficult climate for calf health,” said Robertson.
During his presentation, he quoted results from the recent Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) Optihouse project, which assessed calf housing on 66 NI farms and found that only 30% of calf pens were “easy to clean”.
“Our facilities are hard to clean – we must make stuff that is easier to clean,” said Robertson, who pointed out that various scour-causing bugs can last in a dirty environment for weeks and months.
He also emphasised the importance of offering calves clean water at all times.
Read more
Tough new planning rules proposed in NI
Farm Buildings Are On The Move!
NI farmers have spent millions on low emission slurry spreading equipment (LESSE) to help reduce ammonia, but potentially there are greater wins to be had by tackling the issue at source, a leading specialist in livestock housing has suggested.
Speaking at an event last Thursday to mark 50 years in business for Teemore Engineering, sales manager Ray Foy outlined how he believes the company can influence two major challenges farmers face.
The first is helping to design and fit out buildings that reduce the number of animals that get ill and need antibiotics.
The second is around the issue of ammonia, an air pollutant that negatively impacts the environment and human health.
Ray Foy, Teemore sales manger. \ Houston Green
In NI, 97% of ammonia emissions come from agriculture. Concerns around ammonia deposition at sensitive sites in NI have effectively led to a block in planning for new livestock sheds.
Manure
Ammonia is created when faeces and urine mix. Of the total agriculture emissions, nearly two-thirds are related to the management of manure in a shed and how it is spread on land.
According to Foy, the aim of new innovation in livestock housing is to get the urine out of the building within two minutes and store it separately from the faeces.
“If we stop the problem at the first point, then we don’t have an ammonia problem in storage or when spreading. There are different options coming for different farming situations. We solve it at source,” said Foy.
A potential option could be rubber mats placed over slatted tanks with small holes that allow the urine to drop through, with the faeces then scraped into a separate store.
Alternatively, French company, Bioret Agri, has been working on number of other solutions.
Addressing last Thursday’s event, Jean-Vincent Bioret highlighted a rubber flooring system that comes with a 3% slope, allowing urine to run towards a suction point where it is collected by a robot every 60 to 90 minutes.
Jean-Vincent Bioret director, Bioret Agri. \ Houston Green
Bioret also has a Magellan grooved floor that encourages the movement of urine towards collection facilities, while the company is continuing to work on a new innovation called Delta X.
It is a belt system set into a channel in the floor. The floor is sloped towards the channel, where the belt picks up the faeces, taking it to one end of the house for collection and the urine to the other.
The company claims that it can cut ammonia emissions by up to 70%.
According to Foy, the aim of new innovation in livestock housing is to get the urine out of the building within two minutes and store it separately from the faeces
There are also animal health benefits, with cows’ feet kept dry and cubicle beds kept clean, reducing mastitis, etc.
But these technologies come with significant cost and if Government wants rapid change, financial support might be necessary.
“The farmer needs to make money as well. Otherwise, to speak about environmental change is useless. Nobody will do it – we have to be honest,” acknowledged Bioret.
Mattresses
His company also produces a water-based mattress sold by Teemore.
As well as improved comfort, Bioret maintained that the mattress allows the cow to better transmit heat out of the body, mimicking what is happening when cows are at pasture.
“You always have 70 to 80% relative humidity – when combined with higher temperatures, it leads to thermal stress.
“The best temperature for a dairy cow is 10oC (5oo Farenheit) – when you feel hot, the cow is literally dying,” said Bioret.
High value on good calf health
Livestock housing specialist, Jamie Robertson, has been working with Teemore in the design of the company’s new Mono Calf building.
It comes fitted out with plastic panels for ease of cleaning and with an optimum roof angle to improve air flow.
Speaking at the event last Thursday, Robertson highlighted the importance of having fresh air in the building (utilising Yorkshire cladding), while avoiding draughts.
‘Green tin’ overuse
He was critical of the over-use of “green tin” on local farms, claiming that it traps in moisture, leading to damp beds, and he highlighted the importance of having vent tubes to create air flow on still days.
Jamie Robertson. \ Houston Green
“Don’t buy the cheapest one [ventilation system], buy the one that works. You live in a very difficult climate for calf health,” said Robertson.
During his presentation, he quoted results from the recent Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) Optihouse project, which assessed calf housing on 66 NI farms and found that only 30% of calf pens were “easy to clean”.
“Our facilities are hard to clean – we must make stuff that is easier to clean,” said Robertson, who pointed out that various scour-causing bugs can last in a dirty environment for weeks and months.
He also emphasised the importance of offering calves clean water at all times.
Read more
Tough new planning rules proposed in NI
Farm Buildings Are On The Move!
SHARING OPTIONS