Coleg Sir Gâr awarded Welsh Government funding for an agricultural project set to transform the future of slurry management in Wales
Coleg Sir Gâr is the only further education college in Wales to be awarded SMART Expertise funding.
Part funded by the European Regional development fund, SMART Expertise offers financial support to innovative collaborative projects that require a range of expertise to solve industry problems.
The brand-new Tywi Farm Nutrient Partnership will build on the success achieved by the college’s existing slurry management project, Prosiectslyri Project, which developed a dewatering and purification slurry management system in partnership with Power & Water.
Coleg Sir Gâr’s Agriculture Research Centre will be the leading partner of the project and based at its Gelli Aur campus which is the agricultural hub of the college.
This new project will work with existing partners and a significant number of new partners who will co-fund the research and development to adopt innovative processes and precision agriculture techniques using the very latest technology to utilise treated slurry.
New legislation, the water directive and higher expectations mean that environmental standards need to improve and new management techniques need to be implemented.
John Owen, project manager at Coleg Sir Gâr said:
“We are delighted to launch this new and exciting project and to develop the work already undertaken by Prosiectslyri Project.
“I am also thrilled that we are the first further education college to have also been successful in receiving SMART Expertise funding.
“This project will offer a testbed to create proven nutrient management solutions, bringing a range of expertise in a collaborative project to drive forward innovative environmental solutions.
“The aim will be to better utilise farm nutrients by developing and commercialising appropriate sustainable farming nutrient management practices using new and advanced technology.”
There are currently around 1,609 dairy herds in Wales which could all potentially benefit from the outcomes of this project as well as the environment impact.
The Education Minister, Kirsty Williams, said:
“I’m really pleased to support this project by Coleg Sir Gâr, which will bring benefits to the college, local farmers and to the environment.
“Our SMART support is helping create new innovations across a range of sectors, including agriculture, so congratulations to Coleg Sir Gâr for becoming the first FE college to benefit from SMART expertise funding.”
Visit: www.colegsirgar.ac.uk
