Project "Advanced manure standards for sustainable nutrient management and reduced emissions" of Interreg Baltic Sea Region 2014 – 2020 programme.
Project identifier: MANURE STANDARDS
Project Number: #R057
Programme: Interreg Baltic Sea Region 2014 – 2020 programme
Priority: 2. Efficient management of natural resources
Specific objective: 2.1 Clean waters: Increase the efficiency of water management to reduce nutrient and hazardous substances discharges into the Baltic Sea and waters of the Baltic Sea Region
Manure is a valuable source of plant nutrients and organic matter, but agricultural activities result in high nutrient levels in the Baltic Sea. The largest source of nutrient emissions is manure. This is particularly true in regions with a high proportion of livestock. There is therefore a need to improve manure management.
Policy makers, monitoring authorities, farmers and advisors lack common standards for the assessment of manure quantity and quality, calculation of mass and nutrient losses and emissions, which would ensure a uniform manure management system in all Baltic Sea Region countries and contribute significantly to efficient nutrient management and sustainable manure usage.
The main objective of the project is to establish a new, internationally agreed manure management system that will enable the project target groups (farmers, advisors, policy makers and monitoring authorities) to improve practical manure management and provide reliable and comparable data for policy makers.
The manure standards developed will allow the quantity and quality of manure to be determined and will contain:
Common guidelines for manure sampling, analysis and data acquisition for manure management;
Uniform guidelines and an Excel-based calculation system for the calculation of livestock manure composition at farm level.
In addition, recommendations for a coherent manure management will be developed.
All project activities will be carried out in close cooperation between the project partners and associated organisations, scientists, farmers, agricultural advisors and policy makers, taking into account the needs of all target groups.
The guidelines will be published in English and Latvian. The project will organise seminars and other educational events, publications and explanatory videos in Latvia.
The international recognition of a common manure management system will improve the accuracy of manure application, thereby ensuring rational use of plant nutrients and reducing their emissions to the Baltic Sea, while ensuring the economic efficiency of manure management.
Organisations involved in the project:
19 project partners and 32 associated organisations from nine Baltic Sea Region countries.
Latvia is represented by the State Plant Protection Service and the association "Zemnieku saeima".
Project duration: 01.10.2017-30.09.2019 (24 months)
Project budget: The project is co-financed by the ERDF