A vet based in Co. Kerry is appealing to farmers to be extremely careful with their livestock when agitating slurry.

Richard Hurley, who has a practice in Tralee, told Agriland that 8 young calves died on a farm in the county yesterday (Monday, May 29) after being overcome by slurry gases.

"The farmer was agitating the slurry. He had a pen of calves near the slurry tank but he moved the calves from that pen to one further away.

"These would be young calves that weren't going out on grass yet; they were being bucket fed milk," the vet said.

Hurley said that after the farmer had finishing mixing the slurry he discovered that all 8 calves in the pen were dead.

"There was no loss of human life but there was a substantial loss in the loss of the calves," he said.

Hurley reminded farmers that gases from slurry pits are "highly toxic to man and beast" and care must be taken when agitating.

"Conditions yesterday were very calm as well, you might have had a better chance if there was a wind blowing through the place. But the winds are light at the moment and these calves were young.

The vet said that the incident was "very distressing" for the farmer involved.

"It's just to remind other farmers because we don't want that happening to anybody else," Hurley said.

Agitation of slurry can be extremely hazardous, as it causes harmful gases to be released.

Slurry gas comprises methane, carbon dioxide, ammonia and the poisonous gas, hydrogen sulphide.

There are several important safety considerations when carrying out this activity:

Check the weather forecast to ensure good conditions, particularly that there is adequate air movement to disperse slurry gases;
Before commencing tank agitation, all livestock should be moved from the slatted shed, and all doors must be opened;
There should be no-one in the shed while the tank is being agitated – or in any building that shares a common airspace with it – for at least 30 minutes after agitating has finished;
Agitate on a windy day so that gases released during the process are dispersed – this is hugely important;
Ensure gases do not drift and build up in poorly ventilated areas of adjacent buildings. There have been incidents where farmers have collapsed in adjacent buildings or in milking parlours while the slurry tank was being agitated, or even some considerable time later;
Remember, where outdoor agitation points are located in sheltered areas – between buildings, close to a hedge, trees or a bank – there is reduced air circulation. This could lead to the build up of slurry gas outdoors to harmful levels;
Indoor agitation is extremely dangerous. You should not agitate a tank from an internal agitation point, and never extend a building by roofing over an existing outdoor agitation point unless the agitation point is moved.