Infrastructure in animal production
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the pile height of 2 m it requires the storage space of about 0.70 m2 in a manure pit. This applies to “mature” manure, and the manure removed from the shallow barn; the latter has much smaller bulk density and requires more storage space. Assuming the twice a year rotation of manure in manure pits, (capacity of the manure pit plate should allow for storage of 6-month production of manure), the proper storage of the whole manure production in Poland calls for at least 28 million m2 of manure plates, with the addition of about 35 million m2 surface for “fresh” manure. In 2002, the total surface of manure storage was about 22 million m2 and the capacity of tanks for liquid manure has reached about 36 million m3 (Romaniuk and Wardal, 2006). In the years 2002-2007, the surface of manure pits increased by almost 4 million m2 and the capacity of tanks for liquid manure by about 3 million m3. This allows the storage of manure on the surface of approximately 25 million m2. These data, which may be encumbered with errors, show that the current surface of manure pits ensures proper storage of approximately 70% of manure. The estimate is probably too optimistic, since much of the old manure plates is in poor technical condition and requires complete reconstruction or major renovation. Recently built manure plates, with a capacity of about 4 million m2, allow completely proper storage of approximately 8 million tons of manure (at double rotation), i.e. about 10% of the total production of natural fertilizers. Probably about 20% of the total mass of manure is produced on farms with a high concentration of animals. However, only half of these farms is equipped with modern manure plates. Total production of liquid animal faeces, which consists of liquid manure and slurry is about 26 million m3 (Chapter 3). By analogy with manure, it can be assumed that probably about 20%, i.e. approximately 5 million m3 of liquid manure is produced on farms with a high concentration of animals. Modern tanks, which were built in recent years, allow storage of about 3.2 million m3 of these fertilizers. In this case, needs are also far greater than possibilities, but to a lesser extent, than in the case of manure plates. Enormous progress that was made over the last 10 years in developing of technical infrastructure for livestock production results from both the domestic and the European Union (EU) funding aimed specifically at that purpose (Anonymous, 2008). As many as 408 projects, producing in total 827 investments which involved construction of manure plates and tanks for liquid manure or slurry, were carried out in Poland in 2002-2006 in the framework of the pre-accession aid programme (SAPARD). That resulted in construction of manure pits with the total volume of 55,000 m3, and tanks for liquid manure with the total capacity of approx. 52,000 m3. The Sectoral Operational Programme “Restructuring and modernization of food sector and rural development 2004-2006” provided funding for 562 infrastructure projects to increase the surface of manure plates by about 38,000 m3 and capacity of tanks for liquid manure and slurry by about 29,000 m3. However, the most important for the development of infrastructure in the field of animal production in the years 2004-2006 was the Rural Development Plan (RDP). Part of this plan