As part of the Strategic Action Plan Kwadraat (SALK), the province of Limburg has issued a project on sustainable use of animal manure. The project is implemented and coordinated by PVL in Bocholt and PIBO-Campus in Tongeren. In this project, manure flows in the province were examined and ways to make them more sustainable in the future were examined.
The situation in Limburg is very specific as livestock farms are mainly located in the north of the province and arable farms are mainly located in the south. This creates a situation with a large supply of flour in the north and a supply potential in the south of the province. Therefore, information meetings were organised by the project partners in the municipalities with the largest supply of manure (Bree, Peer, Bocholt and Meeuwen-Gruitrode) and in the municipalities with the largest potential for animal manure use (Heers, Gingelom and Tongeren). The aim of these meetings was, on the one hand, to ascertain what support the project has among farmers on the ground. On the other hand, input from practitioners was also sought at these meetings to increase the potential.
The meetings revealed 3 main conditions for marketing in the south viz.
- Homogeneity of manure
- Immediate availability
- Availability of nutrient values
Meeting these 3 conditions requires the provision of a storage site in the south of the province suitable for mixing manure. A sample of the mixed manure will also be taken to provide nutrient values to arable farmers.
For livestock farmers in the north of the province, the marketing price is the main condition for joining the project.
PVL and PIBO-Campus will try to start the project and establish a cooperation between some farmers in the north and south of the province. This cooperation should already start by the start of manure season 2015. During the first project year, efforts will be made to optimise the cooperation as much as possible and match supply and demand. A lack of storage space in the south of the province means that it is not yet possible to work as the ultimate goal of the project. To overcome this problem as best as possible, manure will be transported from a collection point in the north of the province. Thus, 2 of the 3 conditions set by the arable farmers can already be met, namely homogeneity and availability of nutrient values. In addition, systematic samples will be taken of the manure content of cargoes delivered by livestock farmers. The aim is to be able to make a good estimate of the nutrient content of the various suppliers, also in the future, and to situate deviating nutrient values.
