The BroilerNet project involves a bottom-up approach to identify challenges and innovation needs for broiler farmers in Europe, and to collect promising and already successfully implemented Good Practices to meet the challenges in questions. The top Good Practices selected by experts within the three thematic areas (animal health management, animal welfare and sustainability) have been summarized in factsheets. The production of poultry feed still mainly relies on plant proteins, requiring resource-intensive crops. Indeed, after the mad-cow disease crisis (bovine spongiform enecephalopathy), Regulation of EU council no 999/2001 set out rules on farmed animals feed, including the prohibition of processed animal proteins (PAP). Derogations have since then been issued, regarding insects PAP in poultry and pig feed (Regulation EU No 2021/1372). However, cross-contamination risk with rumnirant feed cannot be excluded, which would require specific regulations to mitigate it (e.g. separation of the production and farming chains). This explains tha ongiung dependence of poultry feed production on plant proteins from third countriesm which often leads to environmental issues such as deforestation, hebitat loss, and overexploitation of agricultural land. Insects emerge as an eco-friendlier and efficient alternative, being "an excellent feed material, with high concentration of highly digestable nutrients such as amino acids and phosphorus, and a high content in vitamins "which "would reduce this dependence on third countries' protein" as highlighted in Regulation (EU) No 2021/1372.
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Agricultural run-off and subsurface drainage tiles transport a significant amount of nitrogen and phosphorus leached after fertilization. alchemia-nova GmbH in collaboration with University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna developed two multi-layer vertical filter systems to address the agricultural run-off issue, which has been installed on the slope of an agricultural field in Mistelbach, Austria. While another multi-layer addressing subsurface drainage water is implemented in Gleisdorf, Austria. The goal is to develop a drainage filter system to retain water and nutrients. Both multi-layer filter systems contain biochar and other substrates with adsorption properties of nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus). The filter system can be of practical use if an excess of nutrients being washed out is of concern in the fields of the practitioner by keeping the surrounding waters clean. This approach may result in economic value by re-using the saturated biochar as fertilizer and improving the soil structure, thus increasing long-term soil fertility. Link: https://wateragri.eu/a-bio-inspired-multilayer-drainage-system/
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant Agreement No 858735This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant Agreement No 858735. FACTSHEET NANOCELLULOSE MEMBRANES FOR NUTRIENT RECOVERY Key information Functionalized nanocellulose membranes can take up nitrate and phosphate. These membranes can be put in a water treatment unit. As the membranes are biobased, degradable materials, they can after use be added to the soil, thus returning the leached nutrients back for their original purpose providing fertilizers (nutrient recycling).
Because variables such as temperature and humidity have a profound effect on the activity of crop pests, diseases and natural enemies, the ability to monitor environmental conditions within a crop has always been important for crop protection.