Containing high levels of nitrogen and phosphorous, the duck slurry has significant value as a fertilizer. In its current liquid state, it is also recognised as a valuable mixing/thinning additive for cattle and pig slurry tanks before emptying. However, with high levels of nitrogen and phosphorous and low solids content, the liquid duck slurry also represents a potential pollutant by way of diffuse water contamination from existing landspreading operations. Other potential environmental threats posed by current operations include the emission of greenhouse gases from the two large lagoons on site where the slurry is stored prior to spreading and the potential hazards associated with transporting such large volumes of liquid waste over long distances.

Spreading such a large quantity of slurry each year without posing any environmental threats to watercourses requires a huge surface area of good quality land, all of which must be mapped, soil sampled and drawn into a nutrient management plan. The land in the region surrounding the site in Emyvale, particularly to the south of the border, is incapable of absorbing the volume of duck slurry produced due to factors such as wet climate, frequency of rivers and lakes, poor soil conditions and density of other types of highly intensive farms, each with their own wastes to be disposed of. To reach suitable land in the South the Company has to transport the duck slurry over 90km. Therefore, the majority of the slurry is currently spread North of the border where suitable lands can be reached closer to the site.

The current system is closely monitored by the Company’s Environmental Department and by the Environmental Protection Agency and in co-operation with Local Authorities on both sides of the border. As with all operations at Silver Hill Foods, the conditions of the Integrated Pollution Control Licence issued to the Company by the EPA are adhered to, thus preventing the aforementioned potential risks associated with current practices from becoming a reality.