Minister of Agriculture, Michelle O’Neill said: “The poultry sector is a key part of our Agri-food industry and an important contributor to the local economy and I am concerned that the lack of progress in securing a long term solution to poultry litter disposal is a major constraint on the sector and is hampering expansion. I am also aware of the opposition to the Rose Energy proposal and believe there are alternative approaches for the management and disposal of poultry litter.

“Therefore, I commissioned officials from my Department and the Agri-food & Biosciences Institute (AFBI) to carry out a review of alternative technologies for the management and disposal of poultry litter. The review has now been completed and I have shared the report with the industry and the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee.”

The two key recommendations from the review are that consideration should be given by the industry to:

1. developing a proto-type poultry litter fuelled gasification plant in the north; and
   
   
2. that options to reduce the transport cost of poultry litter for export, for example use of baling, and the logistics of shipping poultry litter outside the north should be further investigated.

The Minister continued: “The poultry sector and the sustainable management of poultry litter impacts on the responsibilities of other government departments and I have asked my officials to work together with these departments and the poultry industry to explore how the findings of the review can be progressed and a resolution found to the issue of sustainable management and disposal of poultry litter.”