Tenerife must seek solutions to the almost two thousand tons of toxic waste from livestock, basically pork and poultry, which originate in farms on the Island and generate a high level of pollution. Canary Coalition, through counselor Antolin Well, requests this week in the Natural Environment Commission the creation of integrated treatment plants in an insular program that allows managing both organic remains, the so-called purines, and animal by-products not intended for human consumption. the counselor Javier Grill, although he recognizes that the problem exists, advocates going to carry out the treatment on the farms themselves, especially because of the savings it entails.
Bueno proposes in his initiative “to promote and provide the resources to execute the livestock waste management program.” The fundamental part of this program is the start-up of the slurry treatment plants. It proposes “taking advantage of the results of the study carried out in 2016 in collaboration with the General Directorate of Livestock of the Government of the Canary Islands.” He recalls that “the Cabildo had an item in the 2019 budget to start the project based on this report by Ainia – a Valencian company specializing in research and offering technological innovation solutions – but they have done nothing.”
biogas plant
The nationalist advisor details that this document determined the selection of the most appropriate location to install an industrial biogas plant (in Arico) and the possibility of marketing what was obtained. Bueno also remembers that «already in Gran Canaria there is a pilot project in a pig farm in Agüimes that produces biogas for the energy consumption of the farm and organic fertilizer for agriculture. Sentence: «There are many environmental and economic reasons to face this idea».
“No” to the macro complex
Javier Parrilla, counselor for the primary sector, first asks: “If that report was so important, where was CC in 2017, 2018 and 2019?” It maintains its “commitment to the livestock sector that is demonstrated in actions and in a rising budget that already endows more than three million just for promotion.” He acknowledges that the problem exists but “we are not betting on the macro installation that would cost between eight and nine million euros.” With a budget of 1.6 million, he proposes “going to the spaces of the pig and poultry farms where the problem is”. It does not occur in cattle, goats and sheep because due to their characteristics, the residues have a different use and many reinforce the fertilization of the land. Parrilla emphasizes that “we have explored the possibility of including an initiative related to this area in the Next Generation Funds.” But the idea is “to go to the farms, collect and treat the slurry there. We would have resolved the cost of transport and it is much cheaper. And, furthermore, it is technically possible.”
Affects CAT
The management of livestock waste produced on the Island is a major environmental and health problem. It should be remembered that one of the reasons why the Tenerife Environmental Complex (CAT) in Arico is clogged is the excessive dumping of this type of waste. One of the reasons for the proposed expansion of a recycling plant is the controversy over the use of incineration or, as the island government team defends, treatments using high temperatures. The Special Territorial Plan for Waste Management of Tenerife (PTEOR) contemplates as specific objectives, among others, the reduction of waste production or the minimization of rejections destined for landfills.
slurry question
Manure is waste of organic origin that has an environmental impact. This is liquefied, pasty or semi-liquid manure, with a strong ammoniacal odor, resulting from the mixture of defecation, washing water, etc. Antonio Bueno’s calculation is that the total slurry from pigs and chicken manure (poultry waste) that is generated in Tenerife per month is 1,804 tons.
