German maker Reck has developed a slurry mixer that fits between the concrete slats that make up livestock housing floors, avoiding the need to remove sections of the deck and improving operator safety in the process.

The slatted-floor mixer can be inserted through slots as narrow as 17mm and reduces the likelihood of farmworkers having to risk going below to deal with potentially dangerous blockages.

The range includes two models – the Porco for pigsties and the Torro for cowsheds.

Both have similar lightweight, portable designs and can be operated by one person.

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Blades unfold automatically when the mixer is started and it can then be swivelled laterally to allow large areas to be stirred from one location.

Prices start from £2,500 and importer Tramspread says it has the potential to vastly improve safety standards. 

Creating the large access point required by most mixers to stir slurry through shed floors can be dangerous for both farmworkers and livestock.

Agitated and pumped slurry emits dangerous gases, such as hydrogen sulphide, so operators should use a slurry gas detector to monitor the levels of gas when mixing takes place.

Tramspread recommends a monitor such as the Gas Alert Clip – a simple, cheap device that sounds an alert when it detects dangerous concentrations of gas.