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Fire exposes risk of chicken farm waste

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The management, storage and disposal of farm waste products has become a focus after residents reportedly discovered a smouldering fire in a chicken litter stockpile last week.

A resident in the Baringhup/Carisbrook area says they discovered evidence of self-combustion in a pile of chicken farm waste following a day of Total Fire Ban in the district, expressing concern that it could happen again.

The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Victoria has confirmed that it was aware of the fire but did not provide details of location or date. “EPA has responded to a recent report of a fire in spent chicken litter that was stockpiled by a farmer on their property,” a spokesperson stated via email. “We’ll require the property owner to reconfigure the chicken litter stockpile to reduce the risk from possible future fires.”

The CFA told the Tarrangower Times: “CFA is aware of a small amount of chicken manure that self-combusted at a local property near Baringhup on Tuesday, 7 January. No call was made for help. The property owner managed the fire and had a 20,000L water tank and machinery on site which he used to quell the small amount of smoking chicken manure before spreading it out across his paddocks.”

While Baringhup and Maldon fire brigades were not required to attend, they acknowledge that there is a risk of fire caused by self-combusting chicken waste. Bruce Clements 1st Lieutenant (Acting Captain) Maldon Fire Brigade explained: “Any sort of organic matter where there is moisture present, hay that’s not completely dry — even grass clippings — it can happen.” Both he and the EPA reiterated that everyone is responsible for taking care on their own property. “It’s incumbent on all people to know the risks of the stuff that they’re handling and be careful,” Bruce said.

The EPA spokesperson said: “EPA has guidance on how to store and manage combustible materials, such as spent chicken litter, in a way that protects the environment and human health from the risk of fire.” The spokesperson also pointed to the General Environmental Duty (GED), which is part of the Environment Protection Act 2017, saying: “The General Environmental Duty (GED) makes it everyone’s responsibility to take reasonably practicable steps to minimise the risk of harm to human health and the environment from pollution and waste.”

A spokesperson from Central Goldfields Shire Council stated: “The council is currently investigating these matters and working with the EPA to understand any potential non-compliance.”

Tarrangower Times 17 January 2025

This article appeared in the  Tarrangower Times, 17 January 2025.

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