The FERTIMANURE launch meeting brings together the 21 international partners in the livestock manure research project in Vic

Representatives of the 21 partners in the FERTIMANURE project met in Vic on 9 and 10 January, at the meeting to launch this European research project led by the BETA Technological Center (Biodiversity, Ecology and Technology and Environmental and Food Management) at the University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC). The project, with a budget of 8 million Euros, is funded by the Horizon 2020 call for social challenges, one of the most competitive in this European Union programme. In addition to the BETA Technological Center, the participants in the project include the Government of Catalonia's Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food (MALFFF), the Cooperativa Plana de Vic and the LEITAT Technology Centre.

For four years, until the end of 2024, FERTIMANURE will be developing innovative technologies to turn livestock manure into high value-added biological fertilisers (or biofertilisers), which are tailor-made for specific crops and competitive in today's market. The project will be working in two main areas: developing these technologies and processes, and creating business plans that enable them to be marketed and reach their final market, i.e. livestock farmers.

Last week's meeting, which took place at the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce offices in Vic, was an opportunity for all the partners to get to know each other, to present the various working areas within the project, and to lay the foundations together for the work that all of them will be undertaking, and the steps to be taken in the project's first months in particular.

Special emphasis was placed on how to be truly effective in rural development, in order to reduce pressure on the environment while at the same time improving the quality of life in these areas. The partners were also urged to work to make the project influence the definition of new European regulatory frameworks, such as the new Circular Economy Action Plan that the European Commission is working on.

"A perfect example of a circular economy"
The opening ceremony was chaired by the Catalan Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food, Teresa Jordà, who described FERTIMANURE as a "perfect example of a circular economy" which is closely connected with the land management model and the livestock manure that her Ministry is committed to. It is a model, she said, in which "manure is no longer treated as waste, and is considered a biological product that closes the agricultural and livestock production circle." Jordà said that this step represents a "paradigm shift and a new mental framework" and must "improve water and soil quality" but also "decriminalise a sector, pig farming, which has often had a bad reputation."

The event was also chaired by the rector of UVic-UCC, Josep-Eladi Baños, who emphasised the University's role as a key agent in meeting various needs in Catalonia outside the metropolitan area of Barcelona. In this respect, Baños described FERTIMANURE as a very clear example of how research gives "a response to a real problem that the country and its farmers in particular are suffering from." The rector also highlighted the importance of the Catalan government's involvement in the project, and described the BETA Technological Center as "the cornerstone of research at UVic-UCC, which helps improve the competitiveness and technological development of many companies based on sustainability criteria."

Turning a real problem into an opportunity
The director of the centre, Sergio Ponsá, said that FERTIMANURE "is the BETA's most important project," because "it is related to our mission to provide answers for our local society." Ponsá reminded the partners in the project that their goal is to "turn a real problem into a great opportunity" and to "achieve a major global impact". The Councillor for Economic Promotion, Employment and Trade of Vic City Council, Bet Piella, described the project as "a challenge that will provide new opportunities for our agricultural and livestock farmers and industry," and will help to create "a healthier city and region."

Livestock farms in Europe generate about 1,400 Mt of manure every year. More than 90% of this is returned to crops in the form of fertilisers. However, the use of this livestock manure as agricultural fertilisers is often inefficient or not sufficiently controlled, which leads to a problem of concentration of slurry, which is detrimental to crop yields and pollutes both soil and water.

The twenty European partners, and one from Argentina, cover the entire value chain, from livestock farmers to fertiliser production companies, by way of leading European universities and research centres, government agencies, clusters and associations.