Poultry link to P levels

LIMERICK County Council has linked high levels of P in the soil in west Limerick with the land spreading of poultry manure, and has held a number of meetings with poultry producers. Options being explored include exporting the litter out of the county, composting, and small scale waste-to-energy schemes.

Intensive farms have also had special treatment from Clare County Council, which required two piggeries and a poultry facility, all below IPPC licensing thresholds, to prepare Nutrient Management Plans. All applications for farm developments in the county are examined by the Environment Section, to assess storage capacity and land banks for reuse of manure.

South Tipperary County Council has identified 48 piggeries, and spread lands for 28 have been submitted and mapped.

Of the county’s 27 mushroom developments, 25 have nutrient management plans as part of their planning permission, and the other two have been asked for information on spread lands.

Cork County Council is carrying out a survey of pig units to establish their operative status and location of spread lands. Agricultural planning applications in Cork have increased from 100 in 2000 to 350 in 2003, mainly driven by grant aid and expansion of REPS. Appraisal of all the applications includes assessment of land spreading of organic manure.