A NEW system aimed at managing underground slurry stores more effectively, will be the result of the acquisition of Ameram’s Aeromix System by Easyfix, from Ireland.

In what it reckons will herald the next generation of slurry management globally Easyfix – one of the world’s leading manufacturers of livestock comfort products – has bought in to the Aeromix system.

The deal is viewed as the strategic next step in the development of its animal housing product portfolio and strengthens a commitment to continuous innovation in the agricultural marketplace.

Ameram has been supplying slurry management equipment throughout the world for 25 years and had developed a wealth of experience and a trusted dealer network. It aims rebrand the Aeromix system as Easyfix Slurry Technology.

With the increase in emission directives and regulations looming for farmers worldwide, it said the newly acquired technology will benefit many farmers in their quest for lower emissions, reduced carbon footprint and increased slurry nutrients.

Michael Earls, managing director of Easyfix, said: “We are delighted to have completed the acquisition of Ameram’s Aeromix system. This year marks our 25th anniversary and I believe our progression into slurry technology is a strong indicator of both the success we have enjoyed in that time as well as our ambition for the future.

"Ameram has developed a unique, best-in-class product and we believe we can take it to the next level by leveraging our existing scale, reach and dealer network to bring the technology to even more farmers around the world.”

Ameram Slurry was founded by Mike Ross, in Wiltshire, in 1994 and since then has gone on to install slurry management systems all over the world.

Mr. Ross said of the sale: “Aeromix has been my passion for over 25 years and I’m delighted that Easyfix will carry that baton into the future.

"I truly believe that we are entering a new age of how we manage slurry, the importance of it and how it is policed. In my view, Easyfix Slurry Technology, as it will be known, is the ‘next generation’ of slurry management. It does much more than a traditional slurry management device.”

Grant-aided in the UK and Ireland, there are numerous benefits to the system, said Mr Earls. First and foremost, as confirmed by renowned Dutch agricultural research institution, Wageningen University, it reduced ammonia emissions by 51%.

Conversely, it led to increased production of nutrients in the slurry. It also eliminates the need for agitation which, crucially, makes for safer environments for both animals and farmers alike.

The system uses low-rate intermittent slurry aeration to keep slurry in optimum condition for spreading without the need for extensive mixing with traditional over-the-top mixers, or side-stirrers.

Compressed air is injected into the slurry in defined areas, one area at a time, via non-return valves. The action of the bubble rising to the surface physically agitates the slurry and allows oxygen to be introduced by diffusion, both from the bubbles and from the atmosphere at the constantly changing slurry surface.

The introduction of oxygen discourages the growth of anaerobic bacteria which are responsible for the production of methane and the obnoxious odours associated with volatile fatty acids.