Efficient and sustainable management of livestock farms

The European Union through the Horizon Europe program has just financed with 7 million euros the NUTRITIVE project coordinated by MEDRAR.

European policies aim to achieve a sustainable agricultural system in its three pillars: environmental, economic and social. Among the agricultural sectors, livestock farming plays an essential role in global food supply. Thus, 34% of the protein consumed comes from meat, eggs and milk; and from an economic point of view, 40% of the world’s GDP is related to livestock farming, which represents 40% of the total agricultural activity in Europe, representing a total value for EU-28 products equivalent to 170 billion euros. However, livestock activity is of increasing environmental concern as it is a major source of air, soil and water pollutants, being responsible for more than 15% of total EU greenhouse gas emissions and a key driver of biodiversity loss in Europe.

During the period 2016-2019, livestock farming generated more than 1.4 billion tons/year of slurry in the EU-28; which lead to significant emissions of greenhouse gases (CH4, NO2) and other air pollutants (NH3, NOX). They also cause damage to soil and water bodies due to the presence of compounds such as heavy metals, antibiotic residues, antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes, or pathogens associated with livestock. This is why one of the aspects causing the greatest concern is the management of slurry and the lack of specific measures and policies.

The NUTRITIVE project seeks to address the existing challenges at European level by developing a decision-making tool capable of defining the most efficient and sustainable manure management strategy for a given livestock farm. This will consider environmental, economic and social aspects in order to minimize atmospheric emissions and ensure soil and water quality. The results obtained will allow the formulation of technical guidelines and recommendations for the development of future European policies on manure management.

Link to the journal: https://www.asaja.com/files/revista/01112024202750_octubre%202024-pliegos.pdf

Grant agreement No. 10113540

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