BACK in November Horse Sense covered stable design and construction. As part of this feature we included some helpful tips on stable drainage and how it could be used to reduce bedding waste. Part of this involved piping that allowed effluent to drain from each individual stable and be collected in an external effluent tank.

Manure and effluent management is a vital part of modern horse ownership as many horses are spending a significant portion of their day stabled, accumulating large amounts of manure and stable waste. Additionally, horse facilities are often managed on relatively small acreage, limiting manure storage and application options. With proper planning, manure management can be beneficial to both the farm and the environment.

This week in Horse Sense we look at the design and construction specifications of effluent tanks and manure pits along with helpful management advice on the correct methods of waste disposal.

INFORMATION

  • A manure pit is a leak-proof structure for the storage of a range of organic wastes such as manure produced in bedded animal housing, and discarded fodder.
  • Stratum - a layer or a series of layers of rock in the ground.
  • Stanchion - an upright bar, post, or frame forming a support or barrier.
  • A leachate is any liquid that, in the course of passing through matter, extracts soluble or suspended solids, or any other component of the material through which it has passed.

    • CHOOSING A SITE

  • As a general guide, a storage facility for manure or dung should be located not less than 50m from any water body in the case of new farmyards, and not less than 10m in the case of extensions / modifications to an existing facility.
  • The minimum distance between a storage facility and a public/private water supply source, either surface or ground, should be 60m for new farmyards and this may be reduced to not less than 30m for existing farmyards - subject to a hydro-geological survey.
  • In vulnerable situations this distance can be increased up to 300m.
  • It is strongly recommended that a roofed manure pit is not constructed as part of a livestock house. Where a roofed manure pit is constructed as part of a livestock house, then it should be designed such that the animals cannot have direct contact with the manure. This requires that a wall, minimum 1.8m high, should be constructed around the manure pit so that the only method of accessing the manure pit is from outside the building.

    • CONSTRUCTION

  • All topsoil and soft material should be excavated to a minimum depth of 15cm, or down to solid stratum.
  • The foundation should consist of thoroughly compacted hardcore and should extend to a minimum of 30cm in each direction beyond the edge of the finished floor.
  • Hardcore placed in excavated soft areas or on made-up ground should be compacted in 15cm layers using a suitable vibrating or heavy roller. Consolidation with wheeled or tracked plant is not adequate.
  • The depth of compacted hardcore should not be less than 15cm at any point.
  • All hardcores should be blinded over by fine sand or a 5cm layer of blinding concrete finished smooth.
  • Manure pits without walls should have channels at the back, sides and front to collect and convey all the effluent and soiled water that results from the use of the pit to a leak-proof storage tank.
  • Side and back channels should be set at least 20cm in from the edge of the concrete base.
  • The front of the manure base should have a recessed channel to convey the effluent to the approved storage facility.
  • Effluent should be piped in 10cm uPVC pipe preferably through an interception chamber with a silt trap to a storage tank.
  • Uncovered pits should have a front channel to collect contaminated rainfall and seepage. The channel should be connected by a leak-proof pipe to a storage facility whose capacity is specified in accordance with EU regulations (These regulations are discussed in more detail below). A manure pit without walls may be constructed as long as channels are provided all round the base.

    • BOUNDARIES

    Where a walled manure pit is envisaged, the wall may be constructed between the stanchions. Alternatively, the stanchions may be erected outside the wall.

    Under no circumstances should the erection of stanchions on top of the walls be permitted.

    Foundations for manure pit wall footings should be excavated to a minimum depth of 60cm below the original ground level, or to such further depth necessary to reach firm strata to ensure stability of structure.

    Walls should not exceed 1.8m in height. For walls greater than 1.8m high, the walls should be constructed as per structure specification 120 of the farm building specifications which are published on the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) website, or should be designed by a chartered engineer.

    Where it is desired to construct manure pit walls more than 1.8m high, or otherwise not covered by this specification, then a full set of design drawings (including details of reinforcing) and full structural calculations for the entire manure pit should be prepared by a chartered engineer, and given to DAFM for prior approval before the start of construction.

    ROOFING

    If you choose to roof your manure pit the slope of the roof should be as for a livestock house.

  • The roof should incorporate an overhang of 0.5m on all sides so as to reduce entry of rainfall.
  • An unobstructed outlet of at least 30cm should be provided at the highest point of the roof. All electrical work including lighting should be to Electro-Technical Council of Ireland (ETCI) standards.
  • The minimum distance between the top of any wall present and the eave of the building should be 1.5m.

    • PLANNING PERMISSION

    Provided the gross floor area is not greater than 200 square metres and meets the following conditions, you do not need planning permission if you live in a rural area as defined in the Planning and Development Regulations 2001.

    1No such structure should be used for any purpose other than the purpose of agriculture.

    2The gross floor space of such structure together with any other such structures within the same farmyard complex or within 100 metres of that complex should not exceed 300 square metres gross floor space in aggregate.

    3Effluent storage facilities adequate to serve the structure having regard to its size, use and location, should be constructed in line with Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development and Department of the Environment and Local Government requirements and should have regard to the need to avoid water pollution.

    4No such structure should be situated, and no effluent from such structure should be stored, within 10 metres of any public road.

    5No such structure within 100 metres of any public road should exceed eight metres in height.

    6No such structure should be situated, and no effluent from such structure should be stored, within 100 metres of any house (other than the house of the person providing the structure) or other residential building or school, hospital, church or building used for public assembly, save with the consent in writing of the owner and, as may be appropriate, the occupier or person in charge thereof.

    7No unpainted metal sheeting should be used for roofing or on the external finish of the structure.

    NB: Check the important pre-conditions of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001 to make sure that none of them apply.

    EFFLUENT TANKS

    Livestock manure, soiled water and effluents need to be collected and held in a manner that prevents run-off or seepage, directly or indirectly, into groundwaters or surface waters.

    A minimum of 16, 18, 20 or 22 weeks storage should be provided in all new and converted structures in line with the requirements of S.I. 31 of 2014 European Communities (Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters) Regulations and any subsequent amendments to the regulations. However, where the Local Authority has specified a higher winter storage period, then this must be complied with.

    The requirements for the capacities of slurry, effluent, and soiled water stores which are defined in S.I. 31 of 2014 Regulations must be followed.

    SPREADING MANURE

    Recycling animal manures back to the land is one of the most sensible management options. However, it is important to be aware that there are strict regulations in place to monitor the spreading of organic fertilisers. Ireland’s National Action Programme under the Nitrates Directive was drawn up in 2005. New Regulations, called the Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters Regulations 2006, have now put the Action Programme into law.

    The Regulations divide the country into three zones. In each zone, there are different rules about the storage capacity that farmers need for organic fertiliser, and about the times of the year when organic and chemical fertilisers must not be spread on land. You can get more information about these specifications from your adviser/consultant, from your local Department office or in the Explanatory Handbook for Good Agricultural Practice Regulations which can be found at agriculture.gov.ie

    Points to note:

  • You must not spread livestock manure and slurry containing more than 170 kgs of nitrogen per hectare in a year.
  • There are times of the year when you must not spread any fertiliser at all on your land, either organic or chemical. These are called the prohibited spreading periods.
  • You must not spread more fertiliser on your land than your crops need.

    • COMPOSTING

    Horse manure and bedding waste can be composted under controlled conditions. This distinguishes composting from the biological decomposition processes which occur naturally in the manure heap.

    Horse manure is suitable for composting as, in general, it would have the right balance of carbon and nitrogen to facilitate the composting process. Of the horse studs that compost their own manures, they would use the compost on their own land as a means to replace organic matter and trace nutrients to the soil so that over time they would have less need for chemical fertilisers.

    Typically horse studs in Ireland would compost their own manure on a concrete pad so that any leachate can be collected. They would place the manure in long rows which are about three metres wide and a metre high. Every week depending on conditions the rows have to be turned by a specialised machine called a windrow turner or simply they could use the front end load of a tractor if it’s a small operation and there is plenty of space available. The key is to get oxygen into the piles to help the composting process.

    Established in 2001, Cré is the Composting and Anaerobic Digestion Association of Ireland. Cré (which is the Irish word for ‘soil’), is a non profit membership association of public and private organisations, dedicated to growing the biological treatment sector.

    In the past people from the equine industry might not have joined Cré directly but either use the members composting sites (list of sites are available on cre.ie) or attended their training courses. A number of people from the equine sector have attended the accredited training course with Institute of Technology Sligo – ‘Certificate in Compost Facility Operation’. By attending the course people learn how to operate a composting facility. For example staff from Kildangan Stud have attended the course. The course is run on demand every 1-2 years.

    MANURE REMOVAL SERVICES

    If spreading manure and composting is not an option in your yard set-up there are services available whereby the manure can be collected and distributed to appropriate facilities. Earlier this week I spoke to Robbie Byrne, of R. Byrne Haulage, Robbie provides a clean and efficient manure removal service to counties Kildare, Dublin, Laois, Carlow and Meath. The manure is removed by machine and truck to leave the yard clean and tidy. A monthly system of collection can be arranged to minimise a mounting manure heap. Large livery yards to small single horse yards can be catered for.

    R. Byrne Haulage has a Multi-Regional Waste Collection Permit that allows them to remove manure properly and efficiently. For more information on this service contact Robbie at robert@rbyrnehaulage.ie