increase font size
A group of 10 farmers across the region have been testing the guidance, putting it into practice over the past year.
Environment Canterbury, alongside industry partners and a group of farmers, is encouraging farmers to consider composting as an environmentally friendly alternative to offal pits.
The council is offering in-depth guidance for farmers on how to compost animal mortalities on-farm.
The guidance has been developed in partnership with a group of test farmers across Canterbury, with support from DairyNZ, Synlait, and Morven Glenavy Ikawai (MGI) Irrigation Company Ltd.
Melissa Gilespie, Environment Canterbury senior farm plan advisor and composting project lead, says the guidance was born out of a clear need.
“We’ve been hearing from farmers that the options for dealing with animal mortalities are increasingly limited," Gillespie says.
"Offal pits can be problematic in terms of environmental impact. And there are less options available for getting carcasses taken away. So, interest in composting has increased a lot in recent years," she adds.
“After a bit of discussion about this at our Farm Environment Plan Audit Reference Group (FEP ARG) hui (meetings), we decided we all needed to work together to develop really practical guidance on how to compost livestock successfully.”
Gillespie says that collaborating with farmers has been critical for the composting management guidance to come together.
“This guidance is peer-to-peer, farmer-to-farmer. All the learnings and knowledge in the guidance have come from farmers who have experience with composting and have been testing our draft guidance over the last year.”
“The response has been overwhelmingly positive – farmers are excited about it. Composting is a great solution, and it’s pretty straight forward to get going.”
A group of 10 farmers across the region have been testing the guidance, putting it into practice over the past year.
Waimakariri dairy farmer, Gavin Bay, says it's easy - once it's set up, it pretty much looks after itself.
“The main reason we started a compost pile was because it’s getting harder every year to get rid of dead stock, and we’re all about lessening our impact on the environment. It’s actually not that hard. Once it’s set up, it pretty much looks after itself. My best advice is to get good contractors to help set it up, and plan well where you’re going to put your pile. It’s a great method of getting rid of your dead stock, and it doesn’t take a huge area.”
Ashburton chicken and calf farmer, Simon Raisbeck, composts his farm’s waste, including mortalities and unsaleable eggs, to improve soil quality.
“It’s a great way to get rid of waste products on the farm, but also to improve the soil structure on the farm. The compost really helps retain the moisture in the soil. I say, use what you’ve got to the best of your ability – compost is a fantastic material. It’s easy to do. Why not use it and improve your soil structure with it?”
OPINION: Canterbury grows most of the country's wheat, barley and oat crops. But persistently low wheat prices, coupled with a high milk payout, are believed to be driving farmers out of the industry in the hunt for the dairy dollar, according to media reports.
OPINION: The Hound wonders, is there some variety of idiot juice in the water in Canterbury? It seems so.
OPINION: Is the ECan regional council run by earnest, handwringing Greta Thunberg wannabes these days?
OPINION: The first question is how much nitrate is there in the Canterbury water and are we expecting multiple deaths with hospitals overwhelmed every day? Unlikely.
OPINION: Environment Canterbury's (ECan) decision recently to declare a so-called “nitrate emergency” is laughable.
One of New Zealand’s longest-running pasture growth monitoring projects will continue, even as its long-time champion steps away after more than five decades of involvement.
The Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsmen Scheme (IFSO Scheme) is advising consumers to prepare for delays as insurers respond to a high volume of claims following this week's severe weather.
Additional reductions to costs for forest owners in the Emissions Trading Scheme Registry (ETS) have been announced by the Government.
Animal welfare is of paramount importance to New Zealand's dairy industry, with consumers increasingly interested in how food is produced, not just the quality of the final product.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay is encouraging farmers and growers to stay up to date with weather warnings and seek support should they need it.
The closure of SH2 Waioweka Gorge could result in significant delays and additional costs for freight customers around the Upper North Island, says Transporting New Zealand.
OPINION: If the hand-wringing, cravat and bow-tie wearing commentariat of a left-leaning persuasion had any influence on global markets, we'd…
OPINION: With Winston Peters playing politics with the PM's Indian FTA, all eyes will be on Labour who have the…
