A UK resource management company, Veolia, recently announced the introduction of a new poultry bedding solution for farmers. The innovation uses waste streams from the paper industry to produce Agribed, a bedding material specifically developed to support the welfare of chickens and turkeys. By converting this unused by-product, the new material boosts the circular economy in the farming industry, and has the potential to deliver greater cost savings, the company said in a press release.

Veolia is currently working with 300 poultry farms and aims to meet 25% of UK demand. The production process takes discarded fibre from the pulping processes in paper and cardboard mills, and transforms it into a kiln-dried, paper crumb bedding for use in poultry sheds. Approved by Defra, the Environment Agency and Red Tractor for use as animal bedding, the product is delivered under Veolia's Arden brand.

Agribed is sterile and helps to optimise bird health and welfare. Its main benefit is its high absorbency, which ensures that poultry sheds stay drier and friable for longer. The material also acts as a very effective insulator. The composition and pH in paper crumb actively reduces ammonia and reduces pododermatitis (podo) as measured by exceptional podo scores. Agribed was developed by Veolia's organics team.

After use the product has potential bio energy applications where it can be used to provide renewable heat for poultry farms which lowers the carbon footprint, and the resultant ash can be used as a soil conditioner. Easy to spread and clean out after use, it meets the high standards required for this application.

"Veolia's Arden branded products are widely respected for poultry bedding solutions, and Agribed now adds an important circular economy solution that can help reduce costs in the industry," said Donald Macphail, chief operating officer at Veolia. "By recycling an underused source of material this further helps to reduce waste, increases sustainability for the industry, and also has the potential for cutting carbon."

"During a period of uncertainty in many supply chains, the Agribed product now offers high quality bedding options and will help maintain consistent reliable supplies at affordable prices," he added.

Veolia's Arden products supply bedding materials to the equestrian industry, poultry and dairy farmers, agricultural colleges and dairy research centres. Other products include applications such as spillage absorbents, fibre board, filtration systems, food smoking, packaging and paint filler. Production is carried out at the automated manufacturing facility with technically advanced screening, blending, dust-extraction and treatment processes that meet clean bio-secure standards.

In becoming a benchmark company for ecological transformation, Veolia is committed to tackle climate change, resource depletion, biodiversity collapse, and pollution. By expanding the use of existing solutions, and developing new innovative solutions, the company is accelerating the process to radically change patterns of production and consumption and placing ecology at the heart of every process.