Agricultural waste manual

Abstract

Agricultural waste management is a rapidly changing technology. It is subject to government regulation and sensitive to population growth patterns, community attitudes and land use changes. It is influenced by variables such as soil type, topography, climate, crop and livestock production practices. The trend towards larger and more concentrated livestock operations has accentuated the problems of waste management. This has necessitated better management methods, not only to hold down labour requirements and cost, but also to minimise detrimental effects on the environment. Agricultural waste management, and particularly that related to housed livestock, became a topic of considerable importance to farmers, their advisers and related authorities in New Zealand in the 1960s and 1970s. The passing of the Water and Soil Conservation Act 1967 gave statutory expression to public concern about pollution of natural water, among other concerns. In the late 1970s, a Dairy Wastes Advisory Committee was meeting under the auspices of the Dairy Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and a Piggery Wastes Committee was working with similar aims under the auspices of the then Pork Industry Council. Members of both committees were concerned at the lack of published, authoritative information in New Zealand related to planning, design and management for agricultural wastes. This manual has been written: "to provide authoritative information for competent designers of animal waste management systems"·