Advanced manure standards for sustainable nutrient management and reduced emissions
MANURE STANDARDS
 
PROGRAMME 2014-2020
priority
2 Natural resources
objective
2.1 Clear waters

MANURE STANDARDS

Agriculture releases large amounts of nutrients into the Baltic Sea, with a significant amount of emissions from animal manure. In this project, policy makers, authorities, advisors, farmers and researchers create, test and implement tools to determine manure standards for farming practices and policy instruments. The new manure standards are to improve nutrient recycling and reduce nutrient inflow in the Baltic Sea.
The challenge

Animal manure as a source of nutrients

Agriculture releases large quantities of nutrients into the Baltic Sea, with a significant amount of emissions from animal manure. This contributes to increasing of the euthrophication processes in the sea waters. The actual figures, however, are difficult to assess due to incomparable measuring methods and different ways of collecting data across the Baltic Sea region countries.

Lack of standards

Smart nutrient management in agriculture is one of the most efficient agri-environmental measures to reduce input of nutrients into the Baltic Sea. Currently, most manure is spread on fields as fertiliser without processing. If the manure is used in precision, the nutrient inflow from manure into the Baltic Sea could instantly be reduced. In order to achieve that, farmers and advisers need tools for proper nutrient bookkeeping, along with efficient fertilisation plans and nutrient balances. Equally important is to develop measuring methods that are transparent and harmonised, and applied at all levels: from farms up to the regional and national level across the Baltic Sea region.

Budgets

MANURE STANDARDS
in numbers
  • 2.87
    Million
    Total
  • 1.91
    Million
    Erdf
  • 0.37
    Million
    Eni + Russia
  • 0.00
    Million
    Norway

Achievements

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.

Outputs

Recommendations for manure data generation and use

These recommendations present how to generate manure data and how to use it. In particular, farmers get information on why manure data is needed and how it may affect farm practices as well as how to make better use of manure due to more accurate manure data. They get instructions how to measure manure quantity and properties. Advisors get information how they can support farmers in making the most of manure, how and why to use more accurate manure data in their own tools. Public authorities in relevant ministries on agricultural, environmental and food safety issues get information why it is important to use updated and accurate national manure data in policy measures, methods to generate the data and who should do it, where manure data can be used, how the data support in reaching the national and international targets for circular economy and emission reductions.

Handbook "How to make the most of manure?"

This handbook guides farmers and agricultural advisories through good manure management practices. It talks about manure as a valuable resource that should be managed efficiently to make use of its valuable nutrients. It explains how to minimise losses and reduce nutrient loading from agriculture. It highlights the importance of assessing the content of manure and presents two tools useful in the assessment:: manure sampling for chemical analysis and a farm level calculation tool.

Guidelines for manure sampling and analysis

The partners developed the guidelines for farmers, national advisors as well as laboratory personnel who take manure samples on farms for analysis. Using these guidelines, farmers and their advisors get more precise information on the nutrient content of manure that is necessary to develop an effective and comprehensive nutrient management plan on farms. These guidelines are a step forward in harmonising sampling methods used across the Baltic Sea region. In addition, a quick guide for manure sampling and a video of manure sampling accompany the instructions.

Calculation tools for the quantity and composition of livestock manure

Two manure calculation tools apply to the farm level and the regional level. The farm-level calculation tool helps calculate manure quantity, properties and relevant emissions throughout the whole production chain (on animal, housing and manure storage levels) on an individual farm. On farms, advisors may first support farmers in making the calculations. With the regional-level tool, expert organisations responsible for generating national manure data can calculate the annual livestock manure production and properties. The tool supports estimation of regional emission and enables calculation of nitrogen losses based on the production technologies. Both tools are accompanied by manuals.

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Partners

Natural Resources Institute Finland Luke

  • Town
    Helsinki
  • Region
    Helsinki-Uusimaa
  • Country
    Finland
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
410,394.31
60.167488124.9427473

Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation

  • Town
    Puławy
  • Region
    Puławski
  • Country
    Poland
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
76,100.00
52.297610618.8795094

RISE Research Institutes of Sweden

  • Town
    Uppsala
  • Region
    Uppsala län
  • Country
    Sweden
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
174,004.96
59.858612617.6387436

HELCOM

  • Town
    Helsinki
  • Region
    Helsinki-Uusimaa
  • Country
    Finland
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
209,360.00
60.167488124.9427473

Lithuanian University of Health Sciences

  • Town
    Kaunas
  • Region
    Kauno apskritis
  • Country
    Lithuania
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
86,437.50
54.898213923.9044817

Estonian University of Life Sciences

  • Town
    Tartu
  • Region
    Lõuna-Eesti
  • Country
    Estonia
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
122,855.30
58.39564534999999526.630885501668523

Julius-Kühn-Institute (JKI), Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants

  • Town
    Braunschweig
  • Region
    Braunschweig, Kreisfreie Stadt
  • Country
    Germany
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
285,586.38
52.264657710.5236066

Finnish Environment Institute SYKE

  • Town
    Helsinki
  • Region
    Helsinki-Uusimaa
  • Country
    Finland
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
164,437.25
60.167488124.9427473

Aarhus University

  • Town
    Tjele
  • Region
    Vestjylland
  • Country
    Denmark
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
116,777.91
56.51201269.6099502

Danish Agriculture & Food Council, SEGES

  • Town
    Aarhus N
  • Region
    Vestjylland
  • Country
    Denmark
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
56,522.00
56.149627810.2134046

Swedish Board of Agriculture

  • Town
    Jönköping
  • Region
    Jönköpings län
  • Country
    Sweden
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
140,533.32
57.782563414.165719

State Plant Protection Service

  • Town
    Riga
  • Region
    Rīga
  • Country
    Latvia
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
200,000.60
56.949397724.1051846

Estonian Crop Research Institute

  • Town
    Jõgeva
  • Region
    Lõuna-Eesti
  • Country
    Estonia
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
103,602.50
58.763481926.399928038398983

The Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK)

  • Town
    Helsinki
  • Region
    Helsinki-Uusimaa
  • Country
    Finland
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
51,500.00
60.167488124.9427473

Agricultural Advisory Center in Brwinów

  • Town
    Brwinow
  • Region
    Warszawski wschodni
  • Country
    Poland
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
94,000.00
52.142555120.7170701

Union Farmers' Parliament

  • Town
    Riga
  • Region
    Rīga
  • Country
    Latvia
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
144,126.40

"SUCCEEDED by PP20 (25.05.2018)" Federal State Budget Scientific Institution “Institute for Engineering and Environmental Problems in Agricultural Production – IEEP

  • Town
    Saint Petersburg
  • Region
    City of St. Petersburg
  • Country
    Russian Federation
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
24,020.74
59.91785735000000630.380619357025516

State budgetary vocational educational institution of the Pskov region "Pskov agrotechnical college"

  • Town
    Pskov
  • Region
    Pskov Oblast
  • Country
    Russian Federation
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
81,824.00
57.81161665000000528.36540390200804

Interregional Public Organization "Society for Assistance of Sustainable Rural Development"

  • Town
    St.-Petersburg
  • Region
    City of St. Petersburg
  • Country
    Russian Federation
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
168,306.00
59.91785735000000630.380619357025516

Federal State Budgetary Scientic Instition , Federal Scientific Agroengineering Center VIM IEEP-branch of FSBSI FSAC VIM

  • Town
    St. Petersburg
  • Region
    City of St. Petersburg
  • Country
    Russian Federation
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
154,727.01
59.91785735000000630.380619357025516

Videos

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