Page 12 - National Poultry Newspaper

Fertiliser from chook manure
THE cost of fertilis- er has risen to such an extent that some Australian egg farm- ers have invested in turning chicken ma- nure into a new soil enriching product.
Ahmed was pleased with Incitec’s move.
A $38 million invest- ment has been made to transform poultry litter and waste into a viable fertiliser.
Incitec agronomy and innovation vice president Charlie Walker said the invest- ment would produce a consistent quality product for farmers.
Australian Bio Fert Pty Ltd has developed a poultry waste solu- tion, with Incitec Pivot Limited now a major- ity shareholder.
“The region around Lethbridge has quite a large number of meat chicken and egg pro- ducers and stretches out about 50-60km – a significant poultry re- gion,”MrWalkersaid.
The company looks to produce 75,000 tonnes of fertiliser an- nually out of a new plant to be built in Lethbridge, south- west Victoria by using waste, carbon and fer- tiliser products.
“The main waste stream will be chicken waste.
Victorian Farm- ers Federation Egg Group president Brian Ahmed, a board mem- ber of ABF, said he and like-minded farm- ers have been looking for a solution for years.
“We will chop up the material into a certain degree of fineness in- to the torrefier – that applies heat and pro- duces a black powder – then we can combine it with the other ingre- dients.
“As part of a group of egg farmers in the re- gion, we had big issues getting rid of our ma- nure and spent hens,” Mr Ahmed said.
“We're basically stimulating microbes into the soil, so when we first apply the fer- tiliser a small propor- tion of it is immedi- ately available.
“The Environment Protection Authority was very conscious of using raw manure on land because of the pathogen content and other things.
“Then the microbes in the soil use the carbon as an energy source and consume the nutrients.
“Last year in Leth- bridge, there was an avian influenza out- break because of open- air composting.
“We're better syn- chronising the sup- ply of nutrients in alignment with plant demand, whereas a typical application of compost or conven- tional fertiliser gets a big wave of nutrient availability and then it dies out.”
“This will stop it be- cause everything is be- ing done indoors.”
After years of build- ing a professional net- work and relationships with engineers and industry groups, Mr
Once made, the ferti- liser price will be com- petitive in the market.
The EPA has granted a conditional works approval for ABF for the construction of a poultry organic waste facility in Lethbridge.
The adoption of the RSPCA standard across the meat chicken industry has also seen a steady rise in other well-known brands sourcing RSPCA Approved chicken.
Restaurants and cafes support better welfare for meat chooks
THE significant uptake of the RSPCA stand- ard by Australian meat chicken farmers, and the animal welfare improve- ments this has seen, is undoubtably one of the most significant achieve- ments of the RSPCA Ap- proved Farming Scheme to date.
welfare, set a valuable ex- the ingredients for our cent RSPCA Approved
That’s why the café group proudly uses RSP- CA Approved chicken on its Australian menu.
In 2020 alone, more than 579 million meat chick- ens – or 87 percent of our country’s 660 million chickens – were raised to our higher animal welfare standard and certified by the scheme.
Zeus Street Greek
The adoption of the RSPCA standard across the meat chicken indus- try has also seen a steady rise in other well-known brands sourcing RSPCA Approved chicken.
For this reason, Zeus Street Greek used chicken from farms participating in the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme for near- ly five years.
Which is peri peri good for chicken welfare!
Gami Chicken & Beer
“Over seven years ago, we made the choice to go cage free with our fresh Aussie eggs because we feel passionate about hen welfare.
This has included sev- eral restaurants, some of which may surprise you. Grill’d
The RSPCA is excited to work with Zambrero to see this commitment ex- tend to prioritising farm animal welfare in its busi- ness as well.
Zeus Street Greek has also used grass-fed lamb since 2017.
Oporto
By using RSPCA Ap- proved chicken at all of its venues, Gami knows it is serving fried chicken customers can feel better about, knowing it has been farmed with a focus on animal welfare. McDonald’s
“We are also proud to work with the RSPCA Ap- proved Farming Scheme and source our chicken from RSPCA Approved Australian farms.
Since 2016, Grill’d has proudly sourced 100 per- cent RSPCA Approved chicken and was one of the first restaurants to work with the RSPCA Ap- proved Farming Scheme.
Since 2016, Zambrero has sourced RSPCA Ap- proved chicken for its menu nationally.
With an aim to deliver a feel-good food experience, Oporto also strives to ex- tend this to its sourcing policies, including by sup- porting better farm animal welfare.
McDonald’s is one of the biggest names in the res- taurant industry and ear- lier this year began sourc- ing RSPCA Approved chicken.
“Supporting better wel- fare for Aussie chick- ens means that they are raised in an enriched environment improving their health and quality of life.
The commitment to making considered choic- es about what goes on the Grill’d menu, and what is good for farm animal
Zambrero affirmed, “At Zambrero we’re all about the feel good.”
ample.
Along with RSPCA Ap-
menu has to feel good. “That’s why, when it comes to sourcing chick- en, we only use RSPCA Approved – because meat chicken welfare is impor-
chicken and have done so since 2019.
proved chicken, Grill’d us- es 100 percent free range eggs – including in sauces, which is a huge deal – and 100 percent grass-fed lamb and beef.
Oporto are also proud users of cage free whole eggs for better hen welfare. Nando’s
Along with this, all the fresh eggs cracked and cooked at The Coffee Club cafes, come from cage free hens.
Grill’d stated, “It’s not just about what we’re eat- ing, but where it has come from.”
tant to us.
“That’s why we’re ‘feel
Nando’s might be fa- mous for its flame-grilled chicken, but did you know Nando’s are committed to better farm animal welfare within its supply chain?
The Coffee Club stated, “Responsible farming practices are fast becom- ing a popular choice for consumers, however at The Coffee Club we’ve strived to deliver respon- sibly farmed ingredients where possible for a long time.”
“With so much misin- formation around ethi- cal sourcing, the trust we have from our customers to source the best quality produce is an important responsibility.” Zambrero
The philosophy at Zeus Street Greek is to do food honestlywiththoughtfully sourced ingredients.
Nando’s only source chicken from RSPCA Ap- proved farms and cage free whole eggs for its menu.
Underthemantraof‘feel good Mex’, Zambrero has received many accolades for its humanitarian initia- tives.
This demonstrates a commitment to supporting better farm animal wel- fare, working with local farmers and offering cus- tomers chicken that’s been farmed to higher welfare standards.
Gami Chicken & Beer, the ever-popular Korean fried chicken restaurant, made an ethical decision to source its chicken from higher welfare farms early.
“We purchase over 11 million eggs per year, so that’s a lot of happy hens!
“You, us ... everyone. “Even the way we source
Oporto source 100 per-
With over 15.7 million kilograms of chicken pur- chased in 2019, making the decision to prioritise meat chicken welfare at McDonald’s is a big step forward for the welfare of Australian meat chickens.
“At the end of the day we want to make sure our customers feel good about their choices at The Cof- fee Club.”
good Mex’.”
In 2017, McDonald’s switched to sourcing all of its whole eggs from cage free farming systems, meaning the company is supporters of better wel- fare for layer hens as well. Starbucks
Improving the lives of Australia’s farmed ani- mals is an important pri- ority for the RSPCA.
Did you know the chick- en found in Starbucks’ handmade wraps, salads and sandwiches is RSPCA Approved?
Our work encourag- ing food companies and brands to support a better future for Australia’s farm animals has led to the scheme currently working with 36 forward-thinking brands sourcing RSPCA Approved ingredients and more than 1000 products with the RSPCA Ap- proved certification avail- able.
Page 12 – National Poultry Newspaper, January 2022
When it comes to sourc- ing ingredients, The Cof- fee Club cares about farm animal welfare and know customers do too.
Not only is Starbucks committed to sourcing chicken from higher wel- fare farms, but it is also cage free and proud.
What this means is greater awareness of the source of our food, and higher welfare food that is more accessible than ever to Australians – and that’s something we are very proud of.
Right now, Starbucks on- ly use cage free whole eggs but have made an impor- tant public commitment to also only source cage free where eggs are used as an ingredient – for example in baked goods and sauces – by 2025.
The Coffee Club
Explore what the scheme means for animals and the journey we’ve been on for the past 25 years at the new RSPCA immersive impact webpage – all of which has only been pos- sible because caring Aus- tralians support a future of higher welfare by choos- ing RSPCA Approved.
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