MCU14/0028 Appendix 3 chicken-meat-guidelines

                                           A4
                                           Short-term spent litter stockpiles (less than a
                                           week) are:
                                            covered prior to permanent removal to
                                              avoid nutrient leaching from rainfall and
                                              to minimise dust and odour emissions
                                            stockpiled on an impermeable base
                                            bunded to prevent entry and
                                              contamination of stormwater run-off.

                                           A5
                                           Spent litter composting areas are:
                                            located in an area where the depth to
                                              the watertable exceeds 2 metres
                                            located on an impermeable base to
                                              avoid leaching of nutrients and possible
                                              groundwater contamination
                                            bunded to prevent entry and
                                              contamination of stormwater run-off
                                            well drained to avoid pooling of run-off
                                            set up so that run-off is collected in a
                                              wastewater collection system
                                            managed to avoid dust and odour
                                              emissions and reduce pathogens in the
                                              litter. Composting of spent litter should
                                              be complete in 6 to 8 weeks and
                                              another 4 weeks allowed for curing. For
                                              composting, the optimum moisture
                                              content is around 50 to 55 per cent wet
                                              basis. The optimum carbon to nitrogen
                                              ratio is between 15:1 and 30:1, and the
                                              optimum temperature is between 60 and
                                              65 degrees Celsius (refer to FSA
                                              Consulting – Meat Chicken Technical
                                              Environmental Note 3 Composting and
                                              Pasteurising Spent Litter).

                                           A6
                                           Site drainage from meat chicken sheds and
                                           composting areas must ensure that all
                                           contaminated run-off is directed to an
                                           appropriately sized effluent pond.

                                           A7
                                           Nutrient, pathogen and contaminant levels
                                           in stormwater discharged from the meat
                                           chicken farm must not exceed the water
                                           quality guideline levels of the Australian and
                                           New Zealand guidelines for fresh and
                                           marine water quality 2000 and the relevant
                                           regional plan.




Queensland Guidelines Meat Chicken Farms                                             30