Too many livestock producers are failing to get economic value out of manure

SCOTTISH farmers have been urged to make better use of the slurry and manure generated on their farms in order to increase their profitability and reduce their environmental impact.

Speaking at a Better Climate Event on Rumbletonrig farm, Greenlaw, SAC consultant Donald Dunbar said that, while livestock farms often created large volumes of their own organic manures which could add much-needed nutrients back into the soil, many farmers were still not getting the best out of this resource.

“Too often farmers see slurry and manure as a waste product they need to get rid off,” he said. “We know that, used correctly, it can reduce the need for fertiliser which will save money, and reduce the pollution risk.”

He said after many farmers spread manure on their fields they still added a normal application of bag fertiliser, seeing the manure as little more than a bonus treatment.

Chris Mcdonald, a senior agricultural consultant with SAC Consulting, calculated slurry and manures generated on the 340 hectares at Rumbletonrig, where 300 head of cattle and 250 sheep are kept, had an equivalent nutrient value worth around £14,000.

“We will be working with John and Stephen Mitchell who farm Rumbeltonrig to work out where best to apply the manure, when to apply to manure and how much to apply to get the valuable phosphate and potash nutrients back where they’re needed most,” he said.

“That way they can save on their purchased fertiliser which will help both his bottom line and the natural environment.”

Looking at the national situation, Dunbar said that farmers across the country could benefit financially if they thought about their slurry and manure as a valuable resource and carefully planned how to use it.

He said: “We need to get them to break old habits, and we know old habits die hard. But it is worth it, for them and for the land they are farming.”