All the processed animal and poultry manure in Russia’s Kaliningrad Region could be used as an organic fertilizer in the region, a by HELCOM concludes. Even if the animal or poultry stock would grow significantly, the produced manure will be in high demand as there is currently a shortage of organic fertilizers in the region. The report prepares for a long-term manure management plan which is ready for submission to the Ministry of Agriculture. he study was motivated by the need to identify measures for reducing the flow of nutrients into the Baltic Sea. Experts estimate that the implementation of a manure handling plan for Kaliningrad Region will reduce the entry of nutrients into the environment from animal/poultry manure – nitrogen by 20–30% and phosphorus by 15%, which is equal to 1,100 tonnes and 210 tonnes per year, respectively. The pilot activity under BASE Project was conducted by the State Scientific Institution North-West Research Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Electrification () of the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences with the support of . urthermore, the study identified several necessary measures to secure that the production of organic fertilizer from manure is both profitable and environmentally sustainable, to assist in the adoption and implementation of the manure management plan. For assisting each individual farm to choose the most appropriate technology, the farmers and stakeholders should use the on-line database of technologies, machines and equipment for manure processing at . Decision-makers should take advantage of the decision-making guidelines developed based on nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) balance calculation, on farm level as well as on regional level. Various decoupled subsidies should be used in order to support the production of organic fertilizer. he results of the study have been submitted to the Kaliningrad Ministry of Agriculture. * * *Note for editors: (2012–2014) supports the implementation of the Baltic Sea Action Plan () in Russia. BASE addresses altogether three priority areas of the HELCOM BSAP: eutrophication, hazardous substances, and biodiversity and nature protection. Within BASE, monitoring activities to support and measure the progress within the abovementioned segments are also being carried out. The pilot projects (See: components) are implemented by experts from Russia with the support of EU experts, while the overall Project, funded by EU, is managed by the HELCOM Secretariat and St. Petersburg Public Organization “Ecology and Business”.The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, usually referred to as , is an intergovernmental organization of the nine Baltic Sea coastal countries and the European Union working to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution and to ensure safety of navigation in the region. Since 1974, HELCOM has been the governing body of the ‘Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area’, more commonly known as the Helsinki Convention. * * *For more information, please contactAleksandr Briukhanov (in Russian only)The State Scientific Institution North-West Research Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Electrification (SZNIIMESH) of the Russian Academy of Agricultural SciencesTel. +7 921 653 5133E-mail: sznii(at)yandex.ru Harri HuhtaMTT Agrifood Research FinlandTel. +358 40 522 7785E-mail: harri.huhta(at)mtt.fi Johanna LaurilaInformation Secretary, HELCOMTel. +358 40 523 8988E-mail: johanna.laurila(at)helcom.fi
Less polluting nutrients to the Baltic Sea is the goal of a proposed manure management plan to the Ministry of Agriculture in Kaliningrad, produced by the HELCOM BASE Project.
