An E. E. C. viewpoint on animal waste disposal

Abstract

Livestock management practices have evolved considerably in the E. E. C. during the last two decades. The development of intensive confined rearing without using litter results in the production of vast quantities of animal waste slurries, which create serious disposal problems. Yet these wastes possess a fertilizing value that should be used as much as possible to replace increasingly expensive chemical fertilizers. The Commission of the European Communities sponsored a coordinated research programme on livestock effluents to assess the levels of fertilizing elements in slurries and to establish mathematical models aimed at predicting environmental effects as well as specifying the economic aspects of the land spreading of slurries, and to enable livestock production management to be included in the context of planning and regional policies. The main results obtained on the characterization of slurry and on its use for arable crops, grassland and forage crops are presented, together with some recommendations for administrative action.