28th May 2010
People concerned about infestations of house flies linked to poultry manure are being encouraged to have their say about a new Shropshire Council policy which aims to address this problem.
The council’s ‘Draft Code of Practice for the agricultural use of poultry manure’ aims to provide a consistent approach to the way in which the council deals with problems relating to the use of poultry manure, and to set out best practice for its use.
The new code is out to consultation until July, and farmers and other agricultural businesses are also being urged to have their say. The draft code has been prepared following a recurring problem of common house fly infestations associated with the agricultural use and storage of poultry manure.
Mike Owen, Shropshire Council’s cabinet member for economy and waste, said: ‘Once adopted, this new code will help farmers and other businesses handling poultry manure to understand what they should be doing with regards to the management of their poultry manure, and therefore minimise adverse impacts on the wider community. It will also inform members of the public about what we expect from farmers in their handling and use of poultry manure. I hope anyone concerned about, or affected by, this issue will have a look at the draft code and let us have any comments.’
This consultation aims to gather the views of all interested parties on the proposed Code of Practice in order to give people an opportunity to have their say on its content.
A copy of the draft Code of Practice can be found at www.shropshire.gov.uk/environnmentalhealth.nsf