Slurry Lagoon Planning Statement

Rural Business Consultancy

Re: Construction of a slurry lagoon, Ballamodha Mooar, Ballamodha, Ballasalla.

The applicant, Coole Farms Ltd, is seeking to construct a new earth banked, lined, slurry lagoon. I would be grateful if, in assessing the application, you could consider the following points:

• The farming business is based around 370 acres of which 65 acres are cropped and the remaining 305 acres are in grass.
• The farming business is based around 180 dairy cows and 200 head of following young stock.
• The labour requirement for this business is approximately 5.17 standard labour units.
• Currently three small underground slurry storage tanks are utilised to store slurry. The total storage capacity of the three is approximately $370 \mathrm{~m}^{3}$.
• The tanks provide approximately 7-10 days storage depending on rainfall and the number of stock housed at the time. In peak winter when all stock is housed the emptying of the tanks is a routine weekly task.
• The tanks are emptied onto the most suitable and accessible land by tractor and tanker.
• The winters are proving to be increasingly challenging due to the constant wet weather. As a result the land is often not completely suitable for spreading and damage is caused by the machinery and the nutrient potential of the slurry is not realised.
• Emptying the tanks takes approximately 1 full days tanking, regardless of weather or workload.
• Coole Farms wish to construct a new storage lagoon that will provide sufficient storage for 6 months winter slurry production.
• The proposed lagoon will allow for reduced damage to the land through the winter along with improved targeting of nutrients, increased fertiliser value, reduced risk of pollution and improved labour utilisation through the winter months.
• The farms stock levels are estimated to produce approximately $2534 \mathrm{~m}^{3}$ of slurry through the 6 -month winter period (October to March).
• The proposed lagoon will provide approximately $2514 \mathrm{~m}^{3}$ of slurry storage allowing a freeboard of approximately 0.5 m . including the existing storage tanks of $370 \mathrm{~m}^{3}$ the total storage capacity will be $2884 \mathrm{~m}^{3}$ or $114 \%$ of the estimated 6 -month production.
• The proposed lagoon is to be excavated in field 431382 which has been selected due to its central location and ease of excavation.

• Other sites nearer the main steading were considered but due to the footpath and also potential to limit growth of the steading in the future it was felt that the selected location would provide central for spreading the manure and also the land would lend its self for easier excavation.

• The slurry will be pumped from the existing tanks to the proposed lagoon as and when required using the farms existing pumps. The proposed lagoon will then provide a central location for a contractor with an umbilical pumping system to access the farm for spreading.

• The lagoon will be earth banked using the excavated soil to create the banks and packed in though the construction process to ensure stability.

• The proposed lagoon will be lined with a 2mm HDPE geomembrane installed by UK suppliers who regularly install slurry lagoon liners acceptable by the environment agency.

• The banks are to be 2.5 times wide for every 1 metre of storage above ground required.

• The proposed lagoon is approximately 30m away from the nearest water course.

The proposed slurry lagoon will prove key to reducing labour requirements and reducing fertiliser requirements for this business.

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