Farmers are requesting public understanding as they undertake the essential practice of muck-spreading, a process involving the distribution of animal manure onto fields to enrich the soil and prepare for the next planting season. This natural fertilization method, typically carried out in spring and late summer, is crucial for improving land health and reducing reliance on chemical fertilizers.
Ben Clappison, a farmer from East Yorkshire, explained that while the process can produce an odor, its benefits for soil organic matter are significant. "It helps to make everything a lot healthier and improve soil organic matter and really push towards more organic fertilisers rather than inorganic," he stated. Clappison highlighted the environmental and economic advantages over manufactured fertilizers, noting that the latter involve extensive transportation and energy-intensive production. "Our inorganics are manufactured fertilisers and a lot of raw products come from abroad. There's a lot of mileage on it, a lot of CO2 emitted in manufacturing it and it's expensive. Whereas this is coming out of the farm where it's produced," he added.
Modern farming techniques, including advanced technology, are employed to ensure precise application. Manure from various livestock, including cattle, pigs, and poultry, is carefully measured and spread evenly. Farmers also utilize treated human waste, known as sludge from sewage works, as a soil enhancer. Strict regulations govern the application of sludge, with farmers like Clappison using GPS technology to ensure it is applied only to designated areas.
According to DEFRA, sludge can only be spread on crops not intended for direct consumption from the land, such as wheat, barley, and oil seed rape. "We have a spreading app which has everything mapped out and all of the buffer zones and strips where you can't go anywhere near," Clappison noted, emphasizing the commitment to environmental stewardship. "We have to look after the fields, the soils, the environment because it has to be sustainable for not just my generation but generations to come."