CALNI chairman says natural solution makes better sense than incinerator

Ray Clarke was commenting after one of Northern Ireland's top arable farmers claimed that more than 15 million is being spent on imported fertilizer every year in Northern Ireland when using organic manure such as chicken litter is saving him 20,000 a year on his farm alone.

Speaking to the Ulster Arable Society at Hillsborough Research, Allan Chambers of Clough in Co Down, told an audience of farmers who grow potatoes, maize, vegetables and barley that there was no need to incinerate valuable fertilizer like chicken litter, when according to DARD's own figures it could all be used on arable crops.

He also asked DARD and the UFU to set up a working party to draw up a voluntary code of practice for storage and use of chicken litter as valuable organic manure and asked for the Farm Nutrient Management System grants to be made available to arable farmers.

Mr Chambers explained: "Using the regulations set down under RB209 Northern Ireland's entire crop of potatoes, forage maize, vegetables and spring barley would be able to use all of the chicken litter produced in Northern Ireland and indeed there would be a massive demand in the South of Ireland for any surplus.

"It is currently a quarter of the price of imported chemical fertilizer and on field trials I have run on my own farm over the last 20 years I have registered no increased phosphate or potash levels.

"In fact there is no comprehensive testing of arable farming land by DARD and I am sure that the experience of other arable farmers will be the same as mine. We should be using this valuable organic fertilizer and I do not believe there is any need for millions of pounds to be spent on disposing of it.

"The only area of concern is the limited risk of botulism on neighbouring cattle, but judicious vaccination would be very inexpensive and could be provided free of charge to livestock farmers if a small levy is applied to the cost of the organic manure."

After hearing Mr Chambers' claims Mr Clarke said: "It is such a stunningly simple solution and unbelievable that farmers like Allan Chambers are not being heard. It makes perfect economic sense to channel money to farmers to help them reduce costs and create wealth for the whole of Northern Ireland rather than spend millions lining the pockets of large corporations.

"The sooner DARD, DETI and DOE join up their thinking the sooner Northern Ireland will stop wasting taxpayers money. We will be submitting this evidence to all of the appropriate authorities and it is yet more evidence to put in front of a public inquiry or a judicial review."