Response to oustanding issues Animal Husbandry MCU12/0184

-I

                                                                        MW A Environmental




          All plantings on the property currently receive poultry manure as their pre-
          planting preparation as has been used throughout the various crops grown
          at the site for over 20 years. The only constraint to using poultry manures
          more  extensively at present is the cost of getting the material onto site.
          Poultry manure is the perfect fertiliser for avocados when supplemented
          with the other necessary elements.


          Pruning happens in these stages:

                       1.     Shape
                       2.     Size

                       3.     Light
                       4.     Skirt


          All of these duties are completed with staff by mechanical methods e.g.
          pruning machine, chainsaws, handsaws and secateurs. This is an ongoing
          rotation.


          The farm progresses through fertilising, foliar applications for flowering and
          fruit set.   Injections for prevention of phytophthora are required, a cost which
          will be reduced when the composted material is able to be utilised at the
          orchard.


          Once fruit reached pin-head size and greater (typically by the end of
          October) then nutrition, irrigation, best farming practices apply until harvest
          cycle begins.

          All other farming jobs can be scheduled to accommodate the harvest and
          inclusive of pruning after trees are stripped, needling etc. The mulching
          operation and staff available through the year make the operational process
          of spreading the composted material to integrate into the existing practice.
          The necessary equipment and knowledge is already available at the farm,
          with the addition of the selected compost turning machine to prepare the
          material the only additional requirement.


          Based upon the above, the applicant has advised that there is significant
          flexibility in the scheduling of avocado operations to ensure that peak
          activities do not coincide with peak activity at the poultry farm. The avocado
          operations are able to be scheduled around the broiler activities (e.g. shed
          preparation, bird pick-ups) to avoid on-site conflict. This management will
          ensure that traffic impacts on the external network are not a concern.




     Ridgewood 12-002                           14                      11 September 2013