Small Egg Farmer's Transition Diary (1): The Chicken Manure Crisis Strikes

Recently the layer hen association just finished a meeting, and the discussion covered the handling of livestock and poultry manure, as well as the animal welfare issues that animal protection groups are concerned about

I would like to analyze the transformation difficulties that egg farmers face, starting with the issue of livestock and poultry manure handling

Livestock and poultry manure has in fact always been a "by-product" that gives farmers a headache

Whether chickens, pigs, cattle or sheep, all have manure problems, though of course the manure of herbivorous animals is relatively easier to handle

Feces stink, and chicken manure is no exception. Before going further, the author will first explain how chicken manure fertilizer is handled

How chicken manure is handled is the key to whether chicken farmers can transform

At present there are several ways to handle chicken manure: sun-drying and oven-drying, and the more complicated one is fermentation

As far as I know, most farms (more than 80 percent) choose sun-drying

Sun-drying brings many problems, with air pollution at the top of the list, followed by a higher risk of spreading livestock and poultry diseases

At present the government has already begun promoting fermented composting of livestock and poultry manure

But here comes the key point of this meeting: (1) chicken manure cannot be sold without fermentation (2) it cannot be sold without a "license" (3) farms cannot pile up chicken manure fertilizer without applying for a composting shed

As the meeting ended, several conclusions came to mind. Our government's attitude in handling matters really is hard to admire:

First, the fermented composting promoted by our central government still has no very clear method to let chicken farmers know how far along the fermentation of their manure is

In other words, several situations will arise: (1) insufficient fermentation (2) just right (3) over-fermented

Even the professor who comes to explain fermentation technology says this: "I also don't know when it can be called properly fermented" =.=

Second, for small farmers to maintain quality and keep prices attractive, having to invest an additional huge amount in composting facilities is simply a pipe dream

Third, when both the buyer and the seller need a "license" to trade, will the review system not end up showing favoritism,

and thereby benefit specific manufacturers? I dare not imagine how enormous the interests behind this are, but as far as I know some manufacturers have already gotten a head start.

It is both a crisis and a turning point, please consumers keep paying attention

These are the difficulties and worries of many operators at present; it is both a crisis and a turning point

I hope for more time and space to let us make a transformation of this industry toward sustainable operation

The author will gradually publish articles on thoughts related to risk and transformation

so that consumers in the market can more clearly know under what conditions the eggs they buy are currently produced

Do you care whether the eggs you eat are healthy? Do you care even more whether the hen that laid this egg is healthy?

This is the consumer mindset we should have

(To be continued)