Farmers urge Government to use ‘poo power’ to heat 6,400,000 homes

Farmers believe a quarter of the country's homes could be powered by poo.

British farmers are pushing the Government to use manure to help solve the energy crisis.

The UK’s biggest dairy cooperative, Arla, believes manure could power a quarter of the country’s homes.

Their research shows the combination of nearly 91 million tonnes of manure, slurry (poo) and 10 million tonnes of food waste could be turned into eight billion cubic metres of biomethane.

This would be enough to heat 6.4 million homes or run around 3.8 million of the UK’s buses and heavy goods vehicles.

Currently, Britain is only using a quarter of the 170 million tonnes of organic waste produced each year.

Arla’s vice president of UK logistics, James Pirie, said: ‘At a time when energy security is a major concern for the government, businesses, and households across the UK, we’re clear about the opportunity presented by waste from farming and the wider food industry.

‘We’ve shown that poo power is a viable and reliable source of power, so we’re calling for the Government to support British farmers and the waste and energy sectors with their plans for investment in infrastructure.’

The company has 2,100 dairy farmers in the UK who produce millions of tonnes of slurry each year.

There are also environmental benefits to the plan.

If more trucks were powered with this kind of fuel, it could see a reduction in vehicle emissions.

Arla held several ‘poo power’ trials in 2020, turning waste from 500 cows into 27,000 litres of biofuel for two trucks.

It has since invested in permanent moves to tap into this energy source, currently used to power just seven trucks.

Farmer Ian Barker said: ‘Since signing up for the original poo power trial I’ve been an advocate of using our farms’ natural resources to create energy.

‘It’s good to be in a position to prove that nothing need go to waste when it comes to a more sustainable approach to farming and food production, and I’m pleased to be part of this next step to a greener future.

‘I’m hopeful that with more support for farmers, poo power will become a more regular feature of a more resilient, affordable energy supply.’

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