MANURE STANDARDS

Tools for better handling manure

The partners helped farmers and their advisors use manure as a resource more wisely and efficiently on almost 100 farms in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Sweden. Thanks to research, comparing samples and calculating manure content across the farms, the partners developed tools that can universally be applied in the region. Now, farmers and their advisors have the means to collect more precise manure data. Based on the data, they can better plan the fertilisation processes with manure on their farms, use the correct amount of the manure as a fertiliser and – in this way – cut costs on buying mineral fertilisers and reduce emissions into the environment. For example, thanks to a manure properties calculation tool, farmers in Estonia can now implement efficient fertilisation with manure and ensure adequate capacity for manure storage.

Harmonanisation on the national level

The partners also helped agricultural and environmental authorities keep national and regional manure data updated. The data help shape manure-related policies and authoritative measures developed by the authorities in their daily work.

Thanks to the project, in Sweden, it was agreed to use the new calculation tool developed by the project partners. In Latvia, national authorities decided to update sampling and analysis methodology to get more precise data on manure composition, including nutrient content. In Finland, the Finnish Food Authority and the authorities responsible for environmental permitting of animal farms started using the project tools as guidelines to improve the permitting and surveillance processes. The authorities in Estonia plan to change the regulation on manure data generation and turn the farm-level calculation tool into an official tool for measuring manure nutrients and emissions on farms.

From local to pan-Baltic results

In the pan-Baltic context, based on the project results, the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM) developed and adopted the recommendations on the use of national manure standards. These recommendations guide the Baltic Sea region countries to improve manure data by establishing as well as reviewing and updating the national standard values for manure. HELCOM also uses the project results in preparing a Baltic Sea Regional Nutrient Recycling Strategy.

Thanks to the EUR 1.91 million support from the EU, the Interreg project Manure Standards delivered practical tools for effective manure management on a farm, regional, national and pan-Baltic levels. Researchers together with farmers and agricultural advisors from nine countries proved that manure management should be based on up-to-date data on manure quantity and composition. This is the way to maximise benefits manure brings as a valuable fertiliser and to minimise losses to the environment.