DAERA awards third company £4million to advance Sustainable Utilisation of Livestock Slurry

Natural World Products (NWP) has been awarded £4million to help Northern Ireland’s agriculture sector reduce excess phosphorus from livestock slurry, as part of the further roll out of Lough Neagh Action Plan.

The award has been presented as part of the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs’ (DAERA) Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) Phase 2 project for the Sustainable Utilisation of Livestock Slurry (SULS).

The SULS project aims to undertake research and development into the advancement of demonstrator sites to process livestock manure/slurry to remove excess phosphorus from the environment. The contract represents a further milestone in DAERA’s long‑term strategy to support farmers in managing slurry, improving water quality, and reducing emissions across the agri‑food sector.

Natural World Products’ successful project focuses on the development of Northern Ireland’s first High‑Solids Anaerobic Digestion (HSAD) facility, located at Glenside, Dunmurry. This innovative plant will trial the integration of cattle and pig slurry solids, alongside organic materials such as municipal food and garden waste, to produce biomethane and peat free compost. All SULS Phase 2 projects are due to be completed by October 2028.

Welcoming the announcement, Minister Muir said: “By investing in research to support sustainable slurry solutions we are taking steps to contribute to improve water quality at Lough Neagh and elsewhere whilst also supporting farm businesses.

"I am delighted to see the third and final SULS Phase 2 contract awarded to NWP for their High Solids Anaerobic Digestion (HSAD) project. DAERA funding will support deployment of additional mobile slurry separation units that will visit local farms to remove phosphorus-rich digestate solids for transport to the HSAD plant, leaving farmers with nitrogen-rich liquid which is more easily spread using Low Emissions Slurry Spreading Equipment.”

DAERA funding will also be used for equipment to process liquid digestate on site at the HSAD plant. Remaining solids will be blended into NWP’s PAS100 compost. This will help reduce phosphorus application on Northern Ireland land and ease excess nutrient challenges for farmers.

SBRI provides the public sector with innovative solutions to problems that will drive improvement and allows suppliers to develop products and services working collaboratively with the public sector, enabling them to develop new skills, expertise and markets.

Peter Summerton, Managing Director at NWP added: “Addressing nutrient overload and seeking to improve the health of our soils and waterways is a key structural challenge facing our region. Equally, transitioning away from peat-based growing media products in horticulture is a must if we are to protect our peatlands as vital carbon sinks and areas of natural biodiversity. We look forward to engaging in this important though challenging research initiative with colleagues at DAERA as we collectively strive to find more effective ways of reducing phosphorous levels in our soils and waterways.”