Problem meat can be turned from waste into treasure as organic fertilizer
When people mention “problem meat”, as well as the unscrupulous merchants who use sick and dead poultry and livestock to produce and sell “problem meat” and endanger food safety, citizens detest them deeply. Compared with the previous “extensive” disposal methods for sick and dead livestock and poultry such as burial, incineration and rendering, a harmless biodegradation method that turns “problem meat” into “organic fertilizer” has appeared in the province, and the first specialized centralized harmless treatment center for livestock and poultry waste built using this technology is located in Huidong County, Huizhou City.
Harmlessly treating 8 tons of dead livestock every day
Speaking of dead animal treatment centers, many people associate them with “bodies scattered everywhere” and “stench filling the sky”. At the centralized harmless treatment center for livestock and poultry waste on the outskirts of Huidong County, surrounded by mountains on all sides, this is not the case.
“The harmless biodegradation method is not as dirty and messy as traditional incineration and landfill treatment sites; both the process and the result are environmentally friendly.” Guo Jiang, general manager of Huizhou Shangnong Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd., the technology provider and construction party of the center, revealed that the plant area is currently the first centralized harmless treatment center for livestock and poultry waste in Guangdong Province. It was morning, and the harmless treatment machinery for dead livestock was not running. Guo Jiang explained that during the day the main work is transporting and collecting dead livestock. At present, the center is equipped with 8 treatment units, each of which can harmlessly treat 1 ton of dead livestock every 24 hours. The plant area has a 30-cubic-meter storage freezer. In the event of an outbreak, in addition to using the freezer for temporary storage, the treatment machine settings will also be changed to shorten the treatment time to 12 hours and increase the daily treatment volume.
⟦NL> “The biodegradation method we use has a simple process, occupies little space, and is environmentally friendly, with no smoke, no odor and no sewage!” Guo Jiang said that after livestock carcasses are put into the machine, they go through 5 steps: cutting, grinding, fermentation, sterilization and drying, achieving “zero pollution and zero emissions”. While biologically degrading and treating sick and dead poultry and livestock, organic fertilizer is produced, fundamentally solving the drawbacks of treatment methods such as burial and incineration of dead livestock, including heavy pollution and high treatment costs, and realizing “turning waste into treasure”.
Is fertilizer derived from dead livestock really used to grow organic fruits and vegetables? Pointing to a test field near the plant area, Guo Jiang explained that the harmless-treated “waste” has very high nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content, and is very effective for improving the “sub-healthy” condition of soil caused by excessive use of chemical fertilizers. The test field is a successful example of being “improved”.
Promoting harmless treatment requires breaking through the government-enterprise cooperation barrier
Guo Jiang introduced that in September 2013, the Ministry of Agriculture launched pilot work for a long-term mechanism for harmless treatment of dead animals. The technology used in pilot counties and cities could turn only 30% of dead animals into organic fertilizer. By contrast, the harmless treatment center can turn more than 40% into organic fertilizer. “For each dead pig treated, a government subsidy of 80 yuan can be obtained, which basically offsets the treatment cost.” Guo Jiang told reporters that the organic fertilizer produced through harmless treatment has become the key to profitability.
However, although future “business opportunities” are unlimited, too few people know about this project, which has been in operation for less than a year, and many farmers do not understand or are unwilling to try the organic fertilizer that “turns waste into treasure”. At the same time, many farmers are currently unwilling to hand over dead livestock to the center for harmless treatment, since selling “problem meat” through “black channels” can earn them extra money.
Guo Jiang admitted frankly that it is very difficult for an enterprise to survive on its own. Only through government leadership and supervision, with enterprise participation and operation, can more harmless treatment centers be built. With government guidance, the key is also that farmers can accept the concept of harmless treatment. To dispel some farmers' notions that “harmless treatment = losing a large sum” and “using the black market = earning extra money”, Shangnong Company has negotiated with an insurance company and achieved a breakthrough in sow insurance: dead sows can receive insurance compensation, but the precondition is that they must first undergo harmless treatment before collecting it.