Competition launched to find use for litter

The Northern Ireland Assembly has announced the launch of a Small Business Research Initiative (SRBI) competition to find a sustainable use for poultry litter in the province.

Agriculture minister Michelle O’Neill said the SRBI competition would encourage the development of alternative technologies to meet EU nitrates and water framework directives that limit the amount of litter that can be used as fertiliser.

The SRBI competition is a mechanism for developing an idea into a viable product, with limited risk to the public. Parties can submit ideas which, if successful, will be funded through stages of development. Successful projects are then invited to tender for a government contract.

The announcement follows the publication of a technical review last April in which officials agreed that alternatives could be found to the £100m Rose Energy Proposal – an incinerator capable of burning 250,000t of poultry litter and powering 25,000 homes. Proposals to build the incinerator near Glenavy, County Antrim, have been met with fierce local opposition.

The proposed incinerator is currently awaiting a planning decision, but a spokesman said that even with approval, there is “likely to be a significant lead-in time before construction of Rose Energy could commence and become operational”.

“It is therefore important that alternative approaches, including potential interim solutions to dealing with poultry litter, are explored,” he added.