EU-China Project Initiative

China and the EU, the two biggest food producers in the world, join their forces in the NUTRITIVE project with the aim of achieving a sustainable agriculture in line with the EU-China Food, Agriculture and Biotechnology (FAB) Flagship Initiative. Cooperation with China will be vital to address global manure management challenges that many countries outside the EU also must face. China is responsible for almost half of the world’s pig and almost a quarter of its poultry and produces about 3,800 million tons of manure per year. 32 % of CH₄ emissions in the country are caused by manure and enteric fermentation, and manure is also a major source of NH₃. Its proper management will not only help with China’s national efforts to become carbon neutral by 2060 and to guarantee air quality[1]; but also, to face other major concerns related to manure in the country such as improve soil health favouring agricultural productivity (e.g., reducing the risk of posed heavy metals in crop cultivation); favour water bodies preservation (e.g., facing eutrophication caused by N and P pollution); or avoid adverse effects on human health derived from emerging pollutants present in manure (e.g. antibiotics)[2].

The focus of Chinese collaboration will be on the investigation of manure pollutants affecting the environment at each stage of the management chain. For that purpose, 4 Chinese entities are going to be involved in the project with the role of associate partners: 1 university (XIHUA, leader), 1 research institution (IUA), and 2 companies (SICHUAN and CHENGDU). These will cover the required areas of expertise to assess manure contaminants:  GHG and other air pollutants (SICHUAN (leader) and CHENGDU), chemical pollutants (IUA (leader) and SICHUAN) and biological ones (XIHUA and CHENGDU (co-leaders)).

[1]Climate & clean air coalition (2023). Methane Mitigation Through Manure Management is Ke to Successfully Transforming China’s Agricultural Sector.

[2]Wei et al. (2021). Policies and regulations for promoting manure management for sustainable livestock production in China: a review.

To assess manure pollution in China, different case studies will be considered: at least 3 in the province of Sichuan (2 climate regions: plateau mountain and subtropical monsoon)[1] covering the two main livestock categories in the country (pig and poultry), different livestock and feedstock types, and main management strategies/technologies[2]. For example: (1) subtropical monsoon/pig/intensive/centralized AD; (2) plateau mountain/poultry/intensive/conventional/incineration; (3) subtropical monsoon/pig/extensive/organic/direct soil application. It is to note that southern Chinese provinces are of special interest since are suffering the most from severe manure-derived pollution. The purpose is to carry out an initial assessment of case study Chinese farms following the methodology considered in WP1 (first 18 months). Then (months 18 onwards), an extensive and long-term monitoring of selected case studies will be performed to assess the influence of time-dependent factors, that affect both quantities and composition of animal excretions[3], and the behaviour of pollutants (mainly biological) in the environment after manure application (e.g. climate conditions favouring runoffs, or dilution).

[1]Song et al. (2011). Rain-season trends in precipitation and their effect in the different climate regions of China during 1961-2008.

[2]Chadwick et al. (2020). Strategies to reduce nutrient pollution from manure management in China.

[3]Cabrera et al. (2008). Development of a seasonal prediction model for manure excretion by dairy cattle.