Ulster Farmers’ Union Poultry Chairman Roy Campbell has welcomed the joint announcement made by Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster and Agriculture Minister Michelle O’Neill of a £12 million loan scheme to support the construction of demonstrator plants to pilot new ways of processing poultry litter.
Roy Campbell said; “The poultry industry needs a long term solution for the disposal of poultry litter, backed by scientific evidence. Since 2002 the UFU have been pushing for a resolution to this issue and it is frustrating that progress has been limited to date. It is essential that an alternative viable solution to deal with the disposal of poultry litter which cannot be spread on land. We are pleased to hear that we have now moved on to the second stage in the Sustainable Use of Poultry Litter (SUPL) project and we look forward to hearing the recommendations from the research and development stage.
“With the industry looking for growth, the review of our Nitrates Action Programme underway, and targets to meet under the Water Framework Directive it is essential that we have something tangible in place to deal with this issue. The onus is on Government to ensure that this scheme is effectively delivered to assist those with viable projects to be developed.”
