The ultimate challenge or just common sense : The present practices and future opportunities to increase the utilization of livestock manure as organic fertilizer in North West Russia

• Main Authors: Palm, Ola, Granholm, K, Norman Haldén, A, Briukhanov, A, Surovtsev, VN, Ponomarev, S, Subbotin, I, Melnalksne, Z
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: RISE - Research Institutes of Sweden, Jordbruk och livsmedel 2017
• Subjects: agriculture; livestock; manure; Russia; technology; regulation; BAT; Baltic Sea; nutrients; eutrophication; Natural Sciences; Naturvetenskap; North-West Russia
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:ri:diva-36326

The ultimate challenge or just common sense The present practices and future opportunities to increase the utilization of livestock manure as organic fertilizer in North West Russia The risk of nutrient contamination of surface- and groundwater’s from livestock farming has been one of the issues to address in international cooperation initiatives in the Baltic Sea Region during the recent decade. In particular, international initiatives targeting North West Russia in the 2000-2010’s by HELCOM and NEFCO and as bilateral cooperation with Russia by Finland and Sweden have assessed the severity of the threat, have introduced technical solutions to process livestock manure and have explored the market potential for fertilizer products made through processing of livestock manure. However, a comprehensive resolution to the growing problem still remains a long term goal and many of the barriers to increase manure processing and organic fertilization – poor economic incentives and lack of proven cost-efficient technologies – still prevail. In Russia, ongoing adaptation of state support to agriculture as part of the WTO membership brings about indirect area-based farm support and increased share of support to investments in farm infrastructure, rural development and in management of health, hygienic and environmental aspects. These represent positive opportunities for increasing sustainable manure management and the proportion of manure-based fertilization. The Technological Regulations (TR) instrument introduced in 2008, enhanced enforcement and systematic introduction of BAT in Russian agriculture, provide a set of management tools which has good potential to be effective for the administration and be accepted by the agricultural companies. At the same time, there is a risk that the increasing concentration of livestock, in particular poultry production in Leningrad Oblast narrows alternative paths for sustainable manure management and is leading to a situation in which only large scale technological solutions ...