Livestock producers facing
restrictions and higher costs for traditional methods of dead stock
disposal have a new economical and environmentally safe alternative.
New composting system offers economical and safe mortality disposal
Livestock producers facing restrictions and higher costs for traditional methods of dead stock disposal have a new economical and environmentally safe alternative.
The Biovator, an award-winning product developed by the Puratone Corporation, allows mortalities to be rapidly composted in a controlled environment protected from scavengers and insects.
Puratone, a Manitoba-based hog production and marketing company, points out that rendering and other methods are becoming less desirable alternatives for dead stock disposal. Timely pickup is a problem in many areas, as is the potential for disease spread by trucks moving from farm to farm. Burial is also restricted for much of the year where ground is frozen, and increasingly subject to environmental restrictions, as is incineration, which also needs expensive fuel and equipment.
Puratone says composting is increasingly being accepted as a method of on-farm mortality disposal, but conventional cell composting has some disadvantages. It is not effective in winter, labor-intensive and expensive to build to meet regulations. Full composting can take up to 90 days, and open cells are subject to disease spreading through scavengers and conducive to insect and odor problems.
The Biovator is a new alternative to conventional composting. It is a rotating vessel with dimensions and control systems that allow composting to be completed in a very short time.
Puratone initially developed this new technology to handle mortalities in its own operations. After gaining considerable recognition from outside, the company decided to commercialize the product to make it available to other producers, processing plants and slaughterhouses.
www.puratone.com
