Page 11 - National Poultry Newspaper

Energy-efficient aerator is safe for operators
AEROBIC biological treatment of abattoir wastewater has been a commonly used practice for many years.
The treatment system is designed to reduce bio- chemical oxygen demand by up to 95 percent by introducing dissolved ox- ygen into the wastewater to help with the decom- position of organic sub- stances.
But there are many and varied aeration systems to chose from.
There are [among oth- ers] splasher or propeller- type aerators that sit on the surface of lagoons, submersible aerators that are below the surface and venturi-aerators mounted on the banks of lagoons.
Venturi-aerators, dis- tributed in Australia by Hydro Innovations, use a bank-mounted self-prim- ing pump to draw water from the lagoon, then dis- charge it at pressure, ac- celerating it into the noz-
zle of the venturi-aerator. This acceleration (from 3.6m/s to in excess of 16.5m/s) creates a vac- uum that draws in 2.2 times more air than fluid pumped, mixing air with
water.
A hydraulic shear facili-
tates the release of soluble gases and volatiles from the water and it is dis- charged, saturated with dissolved oxygen.
According to Hydro In- novations, the venturi-aer- ation system can deliver high oxygen transfer ef- ficiencies, but the biggest advantage to the system is the ease of access for monitoring, servicing and maintenance.
Because the system is located on the banks of lagoons, not floating on them, operators can safely and easily access them.
This has a very positive impact not only on safety but maintenance costs.
With the V-A system, no cranes or boats are neces-
sary to access equipment, eliminating the associated risks (and costs) of having to use them.
Downtime is also great- ly reduced because of the speed at which the equip- ment can be accessed, and because Gorman-Rupp pumps are used to provide the flow and pressure, any service required on the pump is able to be done in a very timely manner.
Asset owners can also derive a level of peace of mind with the system, as pumps and venturi-aera- tion units are designed, cast, machined, assembled and tested in the US.
More information about this system can be ob- tained from info@Hy droInnovations.com.au
A bank-mounted Gorman-Rupp pump venturi-aerator system.
Three million broiler
breeders to be culled
to increase the price of
chicken in Indonesia
INDONESIA has told poultry breeders to cull about three million chickens over a two-week period to prop up plunging prices, as farmers protested by giving away thousands of live birds for free.
Indonesia has been producing more chicken than it consumes, put- ting pressure on prices.
Chicken farmers have been complain- ing that live bird pric- es have been below a government floor price and cost of production for months.
Breeders increased chicken production to cash in on an expected upturn in demand dur- ing the Muslim Eid al- Fitr holidays in early June, but the Agricul- ture Ministry said the demand did not turn out as expected.
In response, the gov- ernment has told farm- ers to cull 68-week old chickens over a two- week period until July 9, the Agriculture Min- istry said in a statement.
Sugiono, the min- istry’s director of breeding and livestock production, estimated three million chickens would be culled, re- ducing the supply of day-old chicks by 1.5 million per week.
In the city of Yogya- karta on Java island, where prices were es- pecially low, protest- ing farmers gave away 5000 chickens, saying prices had been de- pressed for 10 months, even with a spike in demand around the
Muslim fasting month. According to the ag- riculture ministry, the average price of live birds in Indonesia was 20,216 rupiah ($A2.04) per kilogram recently, compared with a gov- ernment floor price of 18,000 rupiah per kilo-
gram.
The government
sets a floor and ceil- ing price for several staple foods, including chicken and corn.
Farmers in Yogya- karta said they had to sell their birds for only 7000 rupiah per kilo- gram.
The association of Yogyakartan farmers said their businesses were dying and almost bankrupt.
“Some of us are afraid to raise chick- ens,” it said in a state- ment.
According to Reu- ters, in 2015 Indone- sia ordered the culling of six million breeder chickens to control oversupply.
The agriculture min- istry is prepared to order more culling if prices do not rise.
Director general of livestock and animal health at the ministry I Ketut Diarmita said, “If the prices of live birds are not yet in line with benchmark pric- es ... culling of par- ent stock of 60-week old chickens will be launched.”
Indonesia produced 3.6 million tonnes of chicken meat last year, but only consumed 3.1 million tonnes, agri- culture ministry data showed.
www.poultrynews.com.au
National Poultry Newspaper, July 2019 – Page 11