Knowledge and Practices of Cypriot Bovine Farmers towards Effective and Safe Manure Management

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

in the attached file

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Please see the attached file.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

General comments:

This study aimed to evaluate the practices of manure management in confined bovine farms at Cyprus using a national survey. Overall, this study is well designed and structured, and clearly presented.  One point that I suggest to clarify is if some farms process a solid-liquid separation. This aspect can be important mainly when pits/thanks are not used to store manure. Also, for those farms drying manure (without liquid/solid separation), the manure is stored in a permeable floor or not; I.e., what is the role of unprocessed liquid infiltration on lands. Please define “dried” manure (air dried?). I believe that some discussion can be done about these issues to well characterize the current procedures. What is the current national legislation for manure processing?

 

Specific comments:

 

L47-48: Please merge this information with L58-60.

L52- Please remove the reference [6].

L91-95: There are national legislation? If yes, please report the main measures (in introduction or discussion sections).

L119-120: All farms with confined or semi-confined animals? For putative “semi-confined systems”, what is the animal density at grazing; there are rotational management? I summary, I suggest a more deeply characterization of the farms.

L245: Can this work establish a relationship between herd size and manure management?

Author Response

Please see the attached file.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx