Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 7 February 2024
407. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the rationale for the nutrient values ascribed to chicken litter in Ireland; and the reason that figure differs considerably from the value used in Britain and elsewhere.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5548/24]
View answerThe nutrient values for poultry manure, as stated in Tables 7 and 8 of the Good Agricultural Practice for the Protection of Waters (GAP) Regulations (S.I. No. 113 of 2022, as amended), cover litter/manure from egg producing birds (known as layers) and meat producing birds (known as broilers). The tables represent manures of varying dry matters and litter types. Both of these parameters have a significant influence on the nutrient content of poultry manure.
The figures in the GAP Regulations reflect the current manure values for poultry published in Teagasc’s “Green Book” titled Major and Micro Nutrient Advice for Productive Agricultural Crops which was last updated in 2020. The values published by Teagasc are derived from the most up to date research conducted on manure types.
Broiler production is the predominant sector within Ireland's poultry sector. A number of years ago and arising from concerns my Department had that nutrient values of Irish broiler manure were lower than those published for the United Kingdom, Teagasc undertook a research survey involving approximately 10% of broiler farmers in Ireland. Arising from the peer-reviewed findings coming from that research, the nutrient value in the GAP Regulations for broiler litter was updated from 11kg total Nitrogen per tonne to 28kg total Nitrogen per tonne. This value is considered to be in line with the data from other studies and as published in the 2023 UK’s Nutrient Management Guide (RB209).
New research would be required to determine if the current nutrient content values for other poultry manures require updating. However, on review of the published Irish figures compared to the UK’s RB209, based on the dry matter percentages of manures produced by layers and turkeys, the nutrient values are comparable and not significantly different.
