Livestock The Xaletto straw bedding system offers a number of unique features.
Pollo-M air cleaner pumps and controls.
Industry tackles ambitious ammonia targets As farmers face growing pressure from consumers and policymakers to cut carbon and ammonia emissions, speakers at this yearās Pig & Poultry Forums took a closer look at the role of air scrubbers and introduced the Xaletto straw bedding system from Big Dutchman. Beef and dairy have been shown to have the highest ammonia emissions in the livestock sector, but all sectors have a part to play in making reductions, according to Philippa Mansfield, agriculture lead for the CSF partnership. The government has pledged to reduce ammonia emissions by 16 per cent by 2030, and with agriculture accounting for 88 per cent of emissions, itās clear that farmers will play a key role in this. Research shows key on-farm drivers are housing (accounting for 27 per cent); manure application (25 per cent), fertiliser application (18 per cent) and manure storage (8 per cent).
Air scrubbing ā the ROI Inno+ business development manager Simon Lague, explained that while air scrubbing is often seen as an unnecessary and inconvenient cost, it can offer potential return on investment by recovering energy and improving animal productivity. Inno+, which is part of Big Dutchman, uses a plate exchanger to transfer thermal energy from waste water, which then conditions incoming air. This is particularly interesting in sow production, Mr Lague said, where energy from sow housing can be used to warm piglets in winter. A frequently asked question, he added, is how much waste water is produced. Using an example of a 1,000 finisher pig unit, biological systems require 915m3 fresh water per year and produce
515m3 waste water ā while chemical systems require 646m3 and produce 64m3 waste. The by-product from biological systems is ammonium nitrate, pH7, with a nitrogen content of 2.8kg/m3, while for chemical itās ammonium sulphate, pH 3-4, with a nitrogen content of 36.8kg/m3. If spread as organic fertiliser, chemical waste water will need to be treated with lime first, or treated by a waste water management company. On a typical 400-sow farm in the Netherlands, the cost of the system came to around ā¬116,535, Mr Lague said, including the air scrubber, heat pump and costs, while the annual saving per year was estimated by the farmer to be Ā£30,445, factoring in saved energy costs and production benefits from increased feed efficiency and reduced mortality. This gives the system a return on investment of 3.83 years, though Mr Lague said the average is 4.5ā5 years. Future systems will be integrated with pre-conditioning and dry cooling to further increase ROI, he added. Use of data is also important, Mr Lague stressed, and most modern systems will have the ability to connect to the computer onsite or preferably via the cloud so reports can be created and shared.
Straw bedding system offers unique features Daniel Holling, director global support for Big Dutchman, introduced the companyās new straw
bedding system, Xaletto, which offers a number of unique features. In use 24 hours a day, seven days a week, there is no need for a slatted area and it has the natural feel of a forest floor, comfortable for feet and joints, and allowing animals to forage ā as well as providing a smart and attractive playing material, Mr Holling said. In addition, the system offers continuous and 100 per cent evaporation of liquids (i.e. water and urine) added to bedding. Data shows that for a 6kg piglet, outputs of manure/dung are significantly reduced from 103kg for conventional systems, and 25kg for the Xaletto. Mr Holling said Xaletto is the only housing system that is available for use in closed houses, and it does not require deep straw. In fact, for 10kg of feed, only 1kg of straw is needed, compared to the average of 4kg straw. Investment in the system is slightly lower than conventional systems and running costs are competitive, according to analysis using a typical 2,000-head finisher farm. If required, OLLiges straw robots are also available to automatically place straw where it is needed. Data shows the system produces 20 per cent less NH-free ammonia compared to other straw systems in a warm barn environment. In terms of performance, daily gain was 0.820g/day/piglet using the Xaletto, compared to 0.800g for straw systems and 0.850g for slurry. In addition, a composting period can be added after the growing period of the animal, adding woodchips to dung. Usually, the process takes around six months and can be used as fertiliser for arable farming operations. It is stable for storing until the optimum application time. Or, it can be used for biogas plants, producing 394 litres of methane to 1kg dung. FG
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AVAILABLE NOW USE MEDICINES RESPONSIBLY. Manufactured and distributed in NI by: Norbrook Laboratories Ltd, Station Works, Newry, Co. Down, BT35 6JP. Distributed in GB by: Norbrook Laboratories (G.B.) Limited, 1 Saxon Way East, Corby, Northamptonshire, England, NN18 9EY. Legal Category of all products: UK: Colvasoneā¢ 0.2% w/v Solution for Injection contains dexamethasone sodium phosphate 2mg/ml. Pyroflamā¢ Solution for Injection contains flunixin (as flunixin megulime) 50mg/ml. LoxicomĀ® 20mg/ml Solution for Injection for Cattle, Pigs and Horses contains meloxicam 20mg/ml. For further details on these products including the dosage regimens, side effects, precautions, warnings and contraindications please see the summary of product characteristics (SPC) available at www.vmd.defra.gov.uk/ProductInformationDatabase/Search.aspx | 5213-LA(C/P)/EQ-v1b-GB-23/03/21
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