XN000022-1974-05-17 — Page 6

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FRIDAY, MAY 17, 1974

POULTRY MANURE DRYER SET UP IN PAT HEUNG

PILOT SCHEME TO REDUCE POLLUTION FROM AGRICULTURAL WASTES

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A POULTRY MANURE DRYER IS BEING INSTALLED AT PAT HEUNG SHEUNG CHUEN IN YUEN LONG BY THE AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES DEPARTMENT FOR THE DISPOSAL AND TREATMENT OF POULTRY WASTES.

THIS IS A PILOT SCHEME AIMED AT SOLVING PART OF THE POLLUTION PROBLEM CAUSED BY AGRICULTURAL WASTES IN THE NEW TERRITORIES AND, AT THE SAME TIME, RECYCLING THE POULTRY MANURE AS A FERTILISER OR ANIMAL FOODSTUFF AS PRACTISED ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD.

MR. YIP WAI HUNG, FIELD OFFICER OF THE NEWLY ESTABLISHED AGRICULTURAL WASTE TREATMENT UNIT, SAID: +THERE HAS BEEN A GROWING CONCERN FOR THE PROBLEMS OF POLLUTION IN THE NEW TERRITORIES IN THE PAST YEARS.

+THE IMMEDIATE PROBLEM FACING THE AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY IS

THE THE TREATMENT AND DISPOSAL OF PIG AND POULTRY MANURE. INSTALLATION OF THIS POULTRY MANURE DRYER IS THE FIRST PILOT SCHEME CARRIED OUT BY OUR DEPARTMENT TO HELP TACKLE THE PROBLEM.+

THE DRYER, WHICH COSTS ABOUT $170,000, IS CAPABLE OF HANDLING FIVE TONS OF WET POULTRY MANURE IN ONE EIGHT-HOUR WORKING DAY, WITH AN OUTPUT OF OVER ONE TON DRIED MANURE.

DURING THE DRYING PROCESS, THE MOISTURE CONTENT OF THE POULTRY MANURE IS REDUCED FROM ABOUT 80 PER CENT TO 10 PER CENT.

MR. YIP POINTED OUT THAT ONE SPECIAL FEATURE OF THIS MACHINE IS THAT IT NOT ONLY DRIES THE MANURE BUT KILLS ALL GERMS AND BAD SMELL AT THE SAME TIME, AND THIS HELPS TO ELIMINATE THE PROBLEM OF AIR POLLUTION.

THE DRIED MANURE PRODUCED CAN THEN BE USED AS FERTILISER OR ANIMAL FOODSTUFF, PARTICULARLY SUITABLE FOR CATTLE AND PIGS.

+HOWEVER, THE USES OF THIS DRIED MANURE WILL FIRST BE TESTED OUT BY THE AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES DEPARTMENT ON GOVERNMENT FARMS BEFORE IT IS RECOMMENDED TO THE LOCAL FARMERS.

THE DEPARTMENT WILL ALSO INVESTIGATE THE MARKET FOR DRIED MANURE, THE ECONOMIES OF THE PROCESS AND DIFFICULTIES THAT COULD ARISE IF THE SCHEME IS DEVELOPED INTO A FULL SCALE TREATMENT SYSTEM FOR POULTRY MANURE, MR. YIP SAID.

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BEFORE THE MACHINE GOES INTO OPERATION IN JULY, FIVE POULTRY FOUR IN PAT HEUNG AND MANURE COLLECTION CENTRES WILL BE SET UP ONE IN SAN TIN. THESE WILL FACILITATE THE FARMERS IN THEIR DISPOSAL OF THEIR DAILY POULTRY MANURE.

IT IS ESTIMATED THAT ABOUT ONE QUARTER OF THE 500 TONS OF POULTRY MANURE PRODUCED DAILY BY POULTRY FARMS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES WILL BE BROUGHT TO THESE FIVE CENTRES.

MR. YIP STRESSED THAT THE SUCCESS OF THE PILOT SCHEME WAS DEPENDENT ON THE SUPPORT OF THE FARMERS. +ALL THEY NEED TO DO IS TO BRING THEIR POULTRY MANURE TO THE COLLECTION POINTS.+

LAST YEAR A DETAILED SURVEY WAS CARRIED OUT BY THE DEPARTMENT TO DETERMINE POULTRY FARMERS' REACTION TO THIS NEW METHOD OF DISPUSING POULTRY MANURE.

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