ABSTRACT
The dispersal of odours during and after surface spreading of farm slurries and sewage sludges is to the public the most significant cause of complaint in manure handling and disposal. Whilst good tanker design and cultivation after spreading can limit the problem to some extent, soil injection is the only technique which can potentially eliminate the problem entirely. Apart from odour control there are a number of other important environmental and agronomic advantages such as the control of surface run-off, improvements in pasture hygiene and better nutrient management by preventing ammonia volatilisation. However, soil injection is not a panacea as there are constraints such as higher operating costs, the difficulties of certain soil types and the extra weather dependency. Nevertheless, the costs of injection must be considered not only in the light of the potential benefits and its flexibility of operation but also with regard to the costs of alternative means of treatment and disposal to achieve the same standard of environmental acceptability.
