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6.9. CASE STUDY 9: MANURE MANAGEMENT IN THE POLISH VOIVODESHIP OF WARMINSKO-MAZURSKIE (POLAND) Hanna Wisniewska and Marcin Proniewicz Office of the Marshal of the Warminsko-Mazurskie Voivodeship (Poland)
1. CURRENT SITUATION OF MANURE MANAGEMENT IN POLAND The basic method of manure management in Polish agriculture is the direct fertilisation of fields. Autumn is the best time for fertilising with manure, slurry and liquid manure, which are primarily a source of nitrogen for crops. According to estimates of the Institute of Plant Cultivation, Fertilisation and Soil Science, the total annual production of solid manure in Poland amounts to approx. 80 million tons while the slurry production amounts approx. 21.5 million m3. The most commonly used liquid manure is cattle slurry. It is also often poured mixed liquid manure: from the cowshed and piggery, especially on small farms. The use and storage of natural fertilisers (solid manure and slurry) are regulated by the Act on fertilisers and fertilisation of 10 July 2007 and article 47 of the Water Law of 18 July 2001 as amended. The maximum permissible dose levels of natural fertilisers are specified by the rules of the Nitrates Directive. According to the guidelines, the amount of nitrogen used in natural fertilisers may not exceed 170 kg per year per hectare, so in the case of slurry maximum dose must not be greater than 45 m3 per hectare, 35 tonnes of manure per hectare. Natural fertilisers can be used only in the period from 1 March to 30 November. The most commonly used slurry spreading system in our agriculture is pouring slurry on the surface, usually using simple scoops spreading fertiliser in the form of li-
quid fan. However, this method results in significant losses of nitrogen contained in the manure, so manufacturers have marketed slurry tanks attachments, enabling the dispensing of liquid manure directly into soil. In this method of liquid manure spreading, nitrogen losses are only 3-5%. There are also important environmental benefits. One of the processing manure technologies employed is composting, which is conducting to oxygen decomposition at high temperatures. Within few weeks the process delivers a smooth, organic fertiliser free of odours, pathogens, and a small amount of ammonia nitrogen. The need to reduce ammonia emissions to the environment comes not only from toxicological and ecological reasons, but also legal, because there are a number of legal acts both in Poland and the European Union concerning the permissible concentrations of NH3 in the natural environment. Problems with management of manure, the need for compliance with environmental standards and targets of the renewable energy sources development contributed to the development of investments in agricultural biogas plants in Poland. In recent years many such installations has been built. According to the register of manufacturers of agricultural biogas (03.07.2015) in Poland currently operates 61 biogas plants with a total installed electrical capacity of 68.5 MWe and an annual capacity of nearly 265 million m3 of biogas.
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