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RAMIRAN has strong links with a number of ongoing
and recently completed EU projects. These include:
ROSA : Recycling Organic Solids in Agriculture
http://www.sri.bbsrc.ac.uk/science/eg/waste/rosaintro.htm
Coordinator:
Dr Trevor Cumby
Silsoe Research Institute
Silsoe MK45 4HS
UK
e-mail: trevor.cumby@bbsrc.ac.uk
Solid manures and many other solid I organic residues
contain useful amounts of nitrogen (N), potassium (K) and phosphorus
(P) that can be recycled in grass and arable production. At present,
much of this valuable resource is seriously under-utilised in favour
of inorganic fertilisers. This is not only a waste, but the disposal
of the residues by other means also leads to environmental burdens.
Clearly, there are reasons why recycling is limited, for example:
- Crop and soil contamination with harmful substances and/or
pathogens
- Variable quality of organic residues
- Handling, transport and spreading difficulties
- Seasonality and storage factors
- Odours and other emissions. This is an international problem
shared by most countries in the EU. Therefore, to help find the
way forward, we are collaborating with research organisations
and universities in 11 other European countries.
- To achieve an international review of the current approaches
to utilisation of organic solids throughout the EU
- To exchange experience on the technical, environmental and
economic aspects of the topic and to learn from each other
- To jointly identify the main constraints which prevent more
effective utilisation of organic solids, and to specify the technological
developments needed to ease some of these constraints
- To define an international research strategy for the future
which will facilitate better utilisation of organic solids.
MATRESA
: Manure Treatment Strategies for Sustainable Agriculture
http://www.sri.bbsrc.ac.uk/science/matresa/default.htm
Coordinator:
Colin Burton
Silsoe Research Institute
Silsoe MK45 4HS
UK
e-mail: colin.burton@bbsrc.ac.uk
MATRESA is an EU project classified as an Accompanying
Measure and is a collaboration of 30 partners across Europe. The
project started in February 2001 and will be concluded in July 2002
and is addressing three main themes : management of wastes in Europe,
treatment techniques and measures for reducing related disease risks.
It seeks to promote good technology transfer of existing and new
techniques to end users throughout the EU including farmers, advisors
and local authorities. This will facilitate better management of
livestock wastes and so minimise environmental and health hazards
whilst gaining maximum benefit from these materials.
A key objective of MATRESA is to produce a comprehensive reference
book on current management techniques for livestock farm wastes
(manures, wastewaters and solid organic residues). The main objectives
are to:
- Review the subject area of waste management in agriculture
for the purpose of defining the content of the proposed reference
book.
- Produce a reference book for use throughout the EU and Europe
to promote good waste management.
- Further disseminate information and issues arising from the
project. This will be achieved through setting up and running
a website and arranging an open one day seminar to launch the
book and to promote the key findings.
AROMIS : Assessment and Reduction of Heavy Metal
Input into Agro-ecosystems.(updated December 2, 2005) NEW
http://www.ktbl.de/AROMIS/index.htm
Coodinators:
Pfenning Eckel, Helmut Dohler and Ursula Roth, Kuratorium fur
Technik und Bauwesen der Landwirtschaft e.V. (KBTL),
Bartningstrasse 49
D-64289 Darmstadt
Germany
e-mail: h.eckel@kbtl.de;
h.doehler@kbtl.de;
u.roth@ktbl.de
The AROMIS heavy metal database, established in the framework of the EU Concerted Concerted Action "Assessment and Reduction of Heavy Metal Input into Agro-Ecosystems", is now accessible on the AROMIS homepage http://www.ktbl.de/AROMIS/index.htm The Concerted Action AROMIS was set up by KTBL and 23 other institutions from across Europe, aiming to provide a cross national assessment of heavy metals in European agriculture. The AROMIS heavy metal database was set up based on the data from research projects and monitoring programmes concerning the different inputs and outputs of heavy metals in agriculture collected in the framework of the project. Apart from data on heavy metal contents the database also provides selected heavy metal farm balances, using model farms and trying to reflect the most important production types in Europe. Furthermore an overview on national and EU legislation concerning heavy metals is given including e.g. threshold values or maximum application limits for organic residues such as sewage sludge or compost.
ALFAM : Ammonia Losses from Field Applied Manure.
http://www.alfam.dk/
Coordinators:
Sven G Sommer and NickJ. Hutchings
Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences (DIAS)
Research Centre Bygholm,
PO Box 536, 8700 Horsens,
Denmark.
e- mail: sveng.sommer@agrisi.dk
ALFAM is an EU Concerted Action with collaboration
from 10 EU countries. The environmental effects of ammonia deposition
on sensitive ecosystems are well documented. It is also established
that agriculture is the largest source of ammonia emission over
much of Europe and that losses from field-applied livestock manures
accounts for a large proportion (about 40%) of this. Loss of nitrogen
from manures as ammonia also represents a significant financial
cost to European farmers.
The European expertise on ammonia emissions from field-applied manures
is confined to a relatively small number of researchers from the
different Member States. The resources and expertise required to
undertake measurement of ammonia emissions are high so ALFAM was
conceived to improved cooperation between researchers and to ensure
that the potential of their results could be fully exploited.The
project run for three years from December 1998. The main objectives
of ALFAM were to:
- Collate and analyse European data on ammonia emission from
field-applied manure and to describe the relationship between
agricultural practice, weather and ammonia losses.
- Promote the comparison of data collected in different European
countries by describing standard techniques for measuring ammonia
emissions and agreeing measurement protocols.
- Evaluate both the efficiency of the techniques available to
reduce ammonia emissions and their economic implications.
- Identify the requirements for future research and development.
- Disseminate the findings to policymakers and advisors.
The final meeting of ALFAM was held in Brussels
in September 2001. In addition to the participants in the Concerted
Action, the meeting was attended by representatives from the Commission
together with national policymakers and advisors from the Member
States involved. A final report was published by DIAS in December
2001. (Ammonia Losses from Field Applied Manures. S G Sommer, N
J Hutchings & O T Carton. DIAS Report No.60. Plant Production.
112pp.).
NUMALEC: Nutrient Management Legislation in European Countries.
Coordinators:
Prof. Dr. Ir G Hofinan and Patricia De Clercq
Coupure Links 653
9000 Ghent
Belgium
(see website at http://soilman.rug.ac.be/numalec/)
The Concerted Action NUMALEC was funded through the EU FAIR programme
and involved collaboration between representatives of all EU Member
States, Norway, Switzerland and one of Europes" largest fertiliser
producing companies. The aims were:
- To review existing and proposed national legislation on nutrient
management in EU countries.
- To propose, where possible and where likely to be effective,
harmonisation in nutrient management legislation on a scientific
basis.
The findings of the project were published in a
book in November 2001 : Nutrient Management Legislation in European
Countries. P De Clercq, A C Gertsis, G Hofman, S C Jarvis, J J Neeteson
and F Sinabell (editors). Department of Soil Management and Soil
Care, Faculty of Agriculture and Applied Biological Sciences, Wageningen,
the Netherlands. 347pp.
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