FARMERS visiting the Dairy Event and Livestock Show in September will
have their first opportunity to inspect a unique system designed to reduce the
cost of providing a safe and comfortable bedding material for cattle.
The Bedding Recovery Unit (BRU) being launched at the event by farm-waste
handling specialist Spreadwise has been developed by Fan Separator GmbH, an
affiliate of the Austrian ecotechnology company Bauer.
Spreadwise recently installed and commissioned the first such unit to be
used anywhere in Europe. It separates undigested fibres from slurry then dries
and sanitises them to produce an economical source of bedding that also has a
beneficial impact on a farm’s slurry storage requirements.
“The BRU is an innovative, cost-effective and environmentally friendly
system that not only has the potential to reduce bedding costs but also to
reduce a farm’s carbon footprint,” the managing director of Spreadwise, Fred Percival,
said. “It produces a dry and absorbent material available fresh every day from
a process that kills potentially harmful bacteria and also reduces slurry
storage capacity needs by as much as 20%.”
The system works by separating the liquid and fibre content of slurry
then treating the larger undigested fibres in a patented aerobic process that
dries them while eliminating any harmful bacteria. This process requires no
external heat source, so the bedding material is produced with very low energy
consumption.
“The material produced by the BRU is safe and provides cows with a
comfortable environment that reduces the risk of injury and encourages improved
milk yield,” the manager of the Bauer affiliate Fan, Klaus Ferk, added. “And
since the process runs automatically, it needs little intervention or
management other than routine daily checks and maintenance.”
Investment in a Fan BRU will also be recouped through cost-savings in
home-produced or bought-in bedding materials and streamlined storage and
application of slurry.
Spreadwise and Bauer staff are currently monitoring the performance of
the first installation on a Cheshire dairy farm and plan to release details of
installation and running costs and pre- and post-installation bacterial counts
in due course.
For
more information visit: www.bauer-at.com.