Free biosolids available north of England

[Badshot]

It can only be stockpiled where there's no land drains, hence its pretty much stopped being used round here as everything is drained.

 

[Brisel]

Be even better if the bio solids was followed with a bacs payment instead of a bill wont it . .

Yes, but farmers like me are prepared to pay £4/t for it because it shows a benefit that exceeds the cost. If I say "no, unless you pay me" I'll lose the supply and another farmer on their waiting list will take it all for £5/t.

 

[Goweresque]

Yes, but farmers like me are prepared to pay £4/t for it because it shows a benefit that exceeds the cost. If I say "no, unless you pay me" I'll lose the supply and another farmer on their waiting list will take it all for £5/t.

Which is precisely whats wrong with farmers, they all want to cut each others throats.

The farming unions/organisations should act collectively on behalf of all their members, negotiate a flat fee from the utilities for every single acre they represent, and tell all members they can't have biosolids on their land until the collective agreement has been signed. So every NFU (say) member gets paid whether or not he has any, and if you put your name down for it you get no more money but just get the flat fee, and maybe have to pay to spread it yourself.

If all the farming organisations presented a united front for every acre they represented to the water companies, they would be faced with virtually nowhere to go, they'd have to play ball, between all of the NFU/CLA/NFUW/NFUS/TFA etc they must represent a vast majority of farmland in the UK. And with the prospect of an annual fee just for joining it would soon be 100% represented.

There's about 23 million acres of farmland in the UK, so a payment of £50/acre to every single farmer would cost the water industry £1.1bn/yr. A fair price IMO for access to all that land to dispose of the waste product they charge the consumer to get rid off. They could probably convince Ofwat to let them raise charges to pay for it any way.

 

[BAC]

I’m closing this thread I’m afraid as I didn’t open it to create a slanging match. I’m just trying to promote a product

 

[Brisel]

Which is precisely whats wrong with farmers, they all want to cut each others throats.

The farming unions/organisations should act collectively on behalf of all their members, negotiate a flat fee from the utilities for every single acre they represent, and tell all members they can't have biosolids on their land until the collective agreement has been signed. So every NFU (say) member gets paid whether or not he has any, and if you put your name down for it you get no more money but just get the flat fee, and maybe have to pay to spread it yourself.

If all the farming organisations presented a united front for every acre they represented to the water companies, they would be faced with virtually nowhere to go, they'd have to play ball, between all of the NFU/CLA/NFUW/NFUS/TFA etc they must represent a vast majority of farmland in the UK. And with the prospect of an annual fee just for joining it would soon be 100% represented.

There's about 23 million acres of farmland in the UK, so a payment of £50/acre to every single farmer would cost the water industry £1.1bn/yr. A fair price IMO for access to all that land to dispose of the waste product they charge the consumer to get rid off. They could probably convince Ofwat to let them raise charges to pay for it any way.

Good luck with that.

 

[snarling bee]

Half the contributors on here aren't members of the NFU anyway it seems.

 

[Wilberforce]

Think one of two on here over thinking the job. We have the opportunity to take delivery of free P in the form of blackgrass free sludge cake versus a artic load of TSP trundleing down the drive. Know which I prefer.

Plenty of threads on here bemoaning the lack of OM going into arable land. Severn Trent also operate in this area and charge for delivery and spreading and have sold out for this season. So there's plenty who are happy to pay for it.

As for expecting to be paid for it, well it's a nice idea. Would 't hold my breath expecting to be paid for any form of public service in the near future. The tide is turning and turning fast.

 

[Spencer]

See a big advertisement in yellow peril from a Yorkshire firm offering favourable prices for the night soil from Yorkshire water.. Think it’s just the North West with its high livestock population and thus high P levels in soil that means we’re overflowing with the stuff.. and getting it tipped on farm for free. Doesn’t stack very well over winter with 30 of inch of rain on it! Shame they can’t dry it to make it spread better, it sticks like the proverbial in spreader I find ..

 

[Brisel]

The utilities companies won't spread it on acidic soils - that risks releasing the metals. They prefer inherently alkaline soils like the calcareous ones where no lime is ever needed & the metals will never be seen again.

 

[milkloss]

As for expecting to be paid for it, well it's a nice idea. Would 't hold my breath expecting to be paid for any form of public service in the near future. The tide is turning and turning fast.

Exactly, if subs reduce or go then farming will have to be paid for somehow. A little less profit for the utilities won’t cost the public anything surely