Although not a particularly pleasant topic to write about, manure is a huge problem in agriculture and agriculture-related work, and has the potential to cause significant damage to both land and water.

Such damage can occur either from improper storage, improper use, or when manure is transported on a farm or on a public road. These will be seen in detail below.

When most people think of manure, they simply think of its smell, which is generally quite unpleasant.

However, it is widely used, often in conjunction with pesticides, to aid in a number of processes in the following industry. It is important to understand the nature of how it is used and its potential dangers if not handled properly.

Manure can come in various forms, mainly solid, semi-solid and liquid.

manure management

It is crucial to understand that different types of manure require different management techniques. What are known as front end loaders or gravity flow storage facilities or units are most commonly used.

Sometimes what are known as gravity slurry tanks are used, but there is a significant risk of some type of spillage into the environment. The other risk to any type of environmental spill is what is known as a stuck manure pit valve.

Transport

This is perhaps the biggest area of ​​potential risk. Manure transport requires significant skill levels in different areas, requires a high degree of planning and supervision, usually by several people with a lot of experience in this process.

It must be recognized that anyone driving any type of farm equipment potentially poses a significant risk to other road users. This is partly due to the nature of the equipment being driven and partly due to whatever load is being hauled or towed.

Collecting or transporting manure significantly increases this risk and as such must be managed with care. Since manure can be available in different forms, as mentioned above, solid, slurry and liquid, it can often be very difficult to handle.

This is an important responsibility for any farmer or farm equipment owner, and many areas carry legal liabilities and penalties associated with load shifting violations.

While penalties may differ by location in the area, most regulations require the legal owner of the vehicles to transport all loads, including all types of manure, in a manner that does not pose any potential risk or harm. For the enviroment. environment or local area.

These regulations are sometimes left quite vague, in order to put maximum pressure on the farmer or owner to ensure that they are followed.

They are also likely to include a provision that in the event of a spill, the operator of the vehicle is legally required to take immediate action to try to control both the immediate damage and any long-term damage that may occur.

Any type of spill usually also carries a legal obligation to notify the relevant authorities, whether local or national, sometimes both, who can take steps to monitor the incident itself and ensure that it is dealt with effectively.

If a spill occurs on a public road, it is crucial that the operator or owner immediately notify all relevant local police officers and firefighters, in order to address any immediate danger to other traffic, all road users track, and also to avoid any potential accidents. as a result of the spill.

Application

Manure used regularly on agricultural land and agricultural fields. How it is applied as a significant effect both in its effectiveness and in terms of any potential damage it may cause.

The quality of the water used and the level of nutrients applied should be important factors when considering how it should be applied to any given field.

It is important not to use manure if the soil on the ground is frozen or likely to freeze at the time the manure is applied.

This is because it will inevitably find its way into some type of watercourse or locality, possibly causing damage to or infection of said water.

This also inevitably applies to any terrain that is near any screen, pond, or well. Manure applied to this type of land can inevitably spread and cause serious damage.

The other thing to keep in mind is that manure contains certain nutrients that are necessary to improve the quality of the terrestrial or vegetable plants that are being grown, usually nitrogen and phosphorus.

It must be recognized that while these may be beneficial to what is being grown, if overused it is very easy for them to contaminate any underground streams or rivers that may be running underground or adjacent to it.

As with many health and safety issues, it is important for the farm to operate as a business in this area.

It is key to have a written plan of what to do in case of a spill, either on public roads or on the land itself. Any operator should be trained in this way in as formal a sense as possible, and there should be ongoing updates to this training throughout the year.

Recent plan to contain all relevant telephone numbers, as mentioned above, including those for local fire and police authorities or any other members of the emergency response team who may need to be contacted in the event of a potential spill.