IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v16y2019i19p3521-d269308.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How Safe is Chicken Litter for Land Application as an Organic Fertilizer?: A Review

Author

Listed:
  • Margaret Kyakuwaire

    (Department of Agriculture, Kyambogo University, P.O. Box 1, Kyambogo, Kampala 759125, Uganda
    Department of Agricultural Production, School of Agricultural Sciences, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala 759125, Uganda)

  • Giregon Olupot

    (Department of Agricultural Production, School of Agricultural Sciences, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala 759125, Uganda)

  • Alice Amoding

    (Department of Agricultural Production, School of Agricultural Sciences, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala 759125, Uganda)

  • Peter Nkedi-Kizza

    (Department of Soil and Water Sciences, University of Florida, 2181 McCarty Hall, P.O. Box 110290, Gainesville, FL 32601-0290, USA)

  • Twaha Ateenyi Basamba

    (Department of Agricultural Production, School of Agricultural Sciences, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala 759125, Uganda)

Abstract

Chicken litter application on land as an organic fertilizer is the cheapest and most environmentally safe method of disposing of the volume generated from the rapidly expanding poultry industry worldwide. However, little is known about the safety of chicken litter for land application and general release into the environment. Bridging this knowledge gap is crucial for maximizing the benefits of chicken litter as an organic fertilizer and mitigating negative impacts on human and environmental health. The key safety concerns of chicken litter are its contamination with pathogens, including bacteria, fungi, helminthes, parasitic protozoa, and viruses; antibiotics and antibiotic-resistant genes; growth hormones such as egg and meat boosters; heavy metals; and pesticides. Despite the paucity of literature about chicken litter safety for land application, the existing information was scattered and disjointed in various sources, thus making them not easily accessible and difficult to interpret. We consolidated scattered pieces of information about known contaminants found in chicken litter that are of potential risk to human, animal, and environmental health and how they are spread. This review tested the hypothesis that in its current form, chicken litter does not meet the minimum standards for application as organic fertilizer. The review entails a meta-analysis of technical reports, conference proceedings, peer-reviewed journal articles, and internet texts. Our findings indicate that direct land application of chicken litter could be harming animal, human, and environmental health. For example, counts of pathogenic strains of Eschericia coli (10 5 –10 10 CFU g −1 ) and Coliform bacteria (10 6 –10 8 CFU g −1 ) exceeded the maximum permissible limits (MPLs) for land application. In Australia, 100% of broiler litter tested was contaminated with Actinobacillus and re-used broiler litter was more contaminated with Salmonella than non-re-used broiler litter. Similarly, in the US, all (100%) broiler litter was contaminated with Eschericia coli containing genes resistant to over seven antibiotics, particularly amoxicillin, ceftiofur, tetracycline, and sulfonamide. Chicken litter is also contaminated with a vast array of antibiotics and heavy metals. There are no standards set specifically for chicken litter for most of its known contaminants. Even where standards exist for related products such as compost, there is wide variation across countries and bodies mandated to set standards for safe disposal of organic wastes. More rigorous studies are needed to ascertain the level of contamination in chicken litter from both broilers and layers, especially in developing countries where there is hardly any data; set standards for all the contaminants; and standardize these standards across all agencies, for safe disposal of chicken litter on land.

Suggested Citation

  • Margaret Kyakuwaire & Giregon Olupot & Alice Amoding & Peter Nkedi-Kizza & Twaha Ateenyi Basamba, 2019. "How Safe is Chicken Litter for Land Application as an Organic Fertilizer?: A Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-23, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:19:p:3521-:d:269308
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/19/3521/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/19/3521/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zhao Chen & Xiuping Jiang, 2014. "Microbiological Safety of Chicken Litter or Chicken Litter-Based Organic Fertilizers: A Review," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 4(1), pages 1-29, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Paula Rogovski & Raphael da Silva & Rafael Dorighello Cadamuro & Estêvão Brasiliense de Souza & Beatriz Pereira Savi & Aline Viancelli & William Michelon & Deisi Cristina Tápparo & Helen Treichel & Da, 2021. "Salmonella enterica Serovar Enteritidis Control in Poultry Litter Mediated by Lytic Bacteriophage Isolated from Swine Manure," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-9, August.
    2. Muthu Manikandan & Sechul Chun & Zakayo Kazibwe & Judy Gopal & Udai Bhan Singh & Jae-Wook Oh, 2020. "Phenomenal Bombardment of Antibiotic in Poultry: Contemplating the Environmental Repercussions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-15, July.
    3. Daabo, Ahmed M. & Saeed, Liqaa I. & Altamer, Marwa H. & Fadhil, Abdelrahman B. & Badawy, Tawfik, 2022. "The production of bio-based fuels and carbon catalysts from chicken waste," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 201(P1), pages 21-34.
    4. Angelika Więckol-Ryk & Łukasz Pierzchała & Arkadiusz Bauerek & Alicja Krzemień, 2023. "Minimising Coal Mining’s Impact on Biodiversity: Artificial Soils for Post-Mining Land Reclamation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-16, June.
    5. Sango Mahanty & Assa Doron & Rebecca Hamilton, 2023. "A policy and research agenda for Asia's poultry industry," Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 10(1-3), pages 63-72, January.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ana Sofia Soares & Carla Miranda & Ana Claudia Coelho & Henrique Trindade, 2023. "Occurrence of Coliforms and Enterococcus Species in Drinking Water Samples Obtained from Selected Dairy Cattle Farms in Portugal," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-10, April.
    2. Awasthi, Mukesh Kumar & Sarsaiya, Surendra & Wainaina, Steven & Rajendran, Karthik & Kumar, Sumit & Quan, Wang & Duan, Yumin & Awasthi, Sanjeev Kumar & Chen, Hongyu & Pandey, Ashok & Zhang, Zengqiang , 2019. "A critical review of organic manure biorefinery models toward sustainable circular bioeconomy: Technological challenges, advancements, innovations, and future perspectives," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 115-131.
    3. Muthu Manikandan & Sechul Chun & Zakayo Kazibwe & Judy Gopal & Udai Bhan Singh & Jae-Wook Oh, 2020. "Phenomenal Bombardment of Antibiotic in Poultry: Contemplating the Environmental Repercussions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-15, July.
    4. David Fangueiro & Paula Alvarenga & Rita Fragoso, 2021. "Horticulture and Orchards as New Markets for Manure Valorisation with Less Environmental Impacts," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-28, January.
    5. Xuanyang Li & Baoming Li & Qin Tong, 2020. "The Effect of Drying Temperature on Nitrogen Loss and Pathogen Removal in Laying Hen Manure," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-11, January.
    6. Edit Gorliczay & Imre Boczonádi & Nikolett Éva Kiss & Florence Alexandra Tóth & Sándor Attila Pabar & Borbála Biró & László Renátó Kovács & János Tamás, 2021. "Microbiological Effectivity Evaluation of New Poultry Farming Organic Waste Recycling," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-21, July.
    7. Christy E. Manyi-Loh & Sampson N. Mamphweli & Edson L. Meyer & Golden Makaka & Michael Simon & Anthony I. Okoh, 2016. "An Overview of the Control of Bacterial Pathogens in Cattle Manure," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-27, August.
    8. Bi, Shaojie & Qiao, Wei & Xiong, Linpeng & Ricci, Marina & Adani, Fabrizio & Dong, Renjie, 2019. "Effects of organic loading rate on anaerobic digestion of chicken manure under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 242-250.
    9. Karina Yévenes & Ekaterina Pokrant & Fernando Pérez & Ricardo Riquelme & Constanza Avello & Aldo Maddaleno & Betty San Martín & Javiera Cornejo, 2018. "Assessment of Three Antimicrobial Residue Concentrations in Broiler Chicken Droppings as a Potential Risk Factor for Public Health and Environment," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-13, December.
    10. Izabella Maj, 2022. "Significance and Challenges of Poultry Litter and Cattle Manure as Sustainable Fuels: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(23), pages 1-17, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:19:p:3521-:d:269308. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.