As a consequence, most livestock farms have come into conflict with the local population in recent years because of the constant stench, which may sometimes grow to unbearable levels when picked up by the wind. A search on the Internet will turn up thousands of such articles and cases from the recent years, so it is fair to say that it is a widespread phenomenon. The only exceptions to this are perhaps those locations which are really far away from any inhabited settlements, but of course these are the rarer cases.

Covered storage of slurry is uneconomical and cumbersome in many respects, while slurry treated in open containers and basins loses much of its valuable content between transports and uses, mainly due to the evaporation of the valuable material (ammonia), which is also the main cause of the characteristic odour.

The solution for slurry treatment is the use of agricultural cover balls. Measuring 10 cm in diameter, these weather-resistant plastic balls float on the surface of the liquid and cover 91% of the surface area of the container, reducing evaporation by the same percentage. Thanks to this, the odour load is radically reduced (by 90%), while the valuable ammonia is retained in the material and released only after application on the field, thus improving crop yields and averages. This eliminates the conflict with the residents of the area, and the workers on the site can “breathe a sigh of relief”, because, despite obviously being used to the smell associated with their job, they will surely not miss it.

It is extremely easy to deploy the agricultural cover balls – they are simply poured onto the surface of the slurry basin, and will not require any maintenance for the next 20-30 years. The balls will not impede the loading and unloading of slurry by pump, but they will prevent the contents of the slurry tank from overheating or cooling down.

This solution has already been widely used in livestock farms in Western Europe, helping prevent controversy over odour pollution.