Dairy cows produce significant amounts of manure, traditionally treated as waste or used as fertiliser.

Now, with the help of cutting-edge technology, farmers are starting to harness the energy contained in cow slurry to generate heat and power. In so doing, they are further cutting the environmental footprint of milk.

‘Brewing’ the slurry in a large anaerobic digester causes it to give off large volumes of biogas, which is collected and used to power a turbine. What’s more, the process also churns out nitrogen-rich dry matter which makes ideal fertiliser.