Composting trial

24 October 2008

UK potato farmers could be set to benefit from reduced carbon footprints and long-term improvements in soil structure should a trial of the use of commercial organic compost be successful.

Branston is working with NOFCO (The Natural Organic Fertiliser Company) to test the effects of compost on ware potato production. NOFCO is a sister company of TEG Enviromental. They convert organic waste, which would otherwise be sent to landfill or incinerated, into natural organic fertiliser via an in-vessel composting process.

David Wilkie is a major supplier of potatoes to Branston. His farm in Perthshire was selected as an ideal site for this commercial trial. David has used the compost on two and a half acres of potatoes. The resulting crop is being stored in his recently constructed £200,000 cold storage facility, built to meet Branston's increasing demand.

The trial is being led by Branston's Senior Field Manager in Scotland, Jim Aitken, and has been part-financed by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme). "The use of natural fertilisers has obvious appeal," commented Jim. "But it is only recently that organic compost has become avalailable in the large volumes we need to use it viably on potato crops. This trial will see how compost performs against conventional inorganic fertiliser."

Solene Le Doze, Organics Project Officer at WRAP said: "WRAP is committed to reducing waste and encouraging recycling. Compost produced to the BSI PAS 100 specification is a great product for use in agriculture as a soil conditioner and as a supplement to fertiliser. By supporting these trials, we hope to quantify its technical and commercial benefits in potato production."

Mike Orr of NOFCO is confident that organic compost will become a viable alternative for commercial food producers: "With a wider range of nutrients and improved soil structure and water retention, we believe that the use of compost as part of the overall fertilising process can improve the quality and durability of the crop produced. We are extremely pleased that a company the size of Branston is willing to test the benefits of composting." 

The results of the trial will be assessed by Dr Stuart Wale of the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC), who added: "The rising price of inorganic fertilisers, and the need to reduce carbon emissions, makes this an extremely important trial. If compost is going to be seen as a viable alternative to conventional fertiliser it has to be proven to perform on a farm scale."

Samples from the trial site were recently hand-lifted by SAC staff for full analysis at its Aberdeen base. Branston has also taken commercial scaled samples, for grading and assessing at its Abernethy factory in early November.

Jim Aitken, from Branston added: "Early indications from the trial are very encouraging and with many of our potato growers operating within a 30 miles radius of the composting plant, they could see significant financial savings by using compost, especially as inorganic fertiliser prices rocketed this year."