Northern Ireland Company Secures Funding for Slurry Phosphorus Reduction Project

An additional company has secured £4 million in funding to advance a project addressing surplus phosphorus derived from livestock slurry. This initiative is integrated into a broader program designed to mitigate phosphorus levels in aquatic environments, thereby assisting in the management of blue-green algae within Lough Neagh. The Centre for Competitiveness (C for C) is set to oversee a project situated in Mid-Ulster, named LUCERNE – slurry Utilisation for the Creation and Exploitation of Recoverable Nutrients and Energy. This undertaking connects agricultural operations with local enterprises that consume significant amounts of energy, with the goal of producing biofuel and decreasing emissions. The process will involve the deployment of mobile slurry separators to extract nutrients from the slurry, which will then serve as feedstock for anaerobic digestion. This financial allocation originates from the Sustainable Utilisation of Livestock Slurry (SULS) programme, which was initiated by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) in 2023. The aforementioned programme constitutes a component of the Lough Neagh Action Plan, a strategy designed to modify the management practices for nutrients such as phosphorus on farms. Elevated concentrations of phosphorus in the water body are identified as a primary contributor to algal blooms observed in Lough Neagh. A decrease in the quantity of nutrients entering the lough is anticipated to aid in regulating algal proliferation. Efforts are currently in progress to identify methods for addressing blue-green algae without causing harm to Lough Neagh or its connected waterways. Dr. James Young, the technical lead for C for C, stated that the project is expected to “ensure the business resilience” of agricultural enterprises while simultaneously fostering their sustainability. However, scientific experts have cautioned that the phosphorus already present in the lough will require four decades to naturally dissipate. A separate company, located in Dundonald, previously received funding through this identical initiative during the preceding month. Daera Minister Andrew Muir expressed that he was “delighted” by the conferral of another award under the scheme, characterizing it as an “excellent example of Green Growth in action: reducing emissions, environmental improvements, and producing green jobs”. The preliminary Green Growth strategy underwent consultation in 2021, with its objective being to establish a framework that harmonizes climate action, environmental protection, and the advancement of the green economy. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.