News & events

Interested in organic contaminants in recycled fertilizers? Register to RELACS webinar series! 3 March 2021 – 22 April 2021, online

The area under organic production is growing, leading to an increased demand for nutrient sources suitable for organic agriculture. FiBL is organizing a webinar series in the frame of the RELACS project, themed “Organic contaminants in recycled fertilizers and their fate in soil-plant systems: Knowledge gathering and discussion with organic stakeholders”. The workshop, taking place

Did you miss RELACS’ workshop on the replacement of anthelminitics at the Oxford Real Farm Conference? Then check out the project’s latest news story!

On 10 January 2021, RELACS’ project partners Soil Association and Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) took part in the Oxford Real Farm Conference 2021 for a workshop session on “Worm Control Without Anthelmintics”. The event, organised and chaired by Soil Association’s Ana Allamand, took place via Zoom, bringing together over 150 participants from across the world.

From lab to field: RELACS’ first project video on new plant protection products replacing copper in organic viticulture

In their commercial vineyard in Frick, Switzerland, FiBL carried out 16 treatments of new plant protection products against mildew in organic viticulture. Three of the tested products used copper, the remaining 13 were replaced by pilot products, one of them based on larch extract. To evaluate their effectiveness, FiBL interviewed managing vintner Andreas Tuchschmid who

Improving worm control in organic sheep farming by using faecal egg counts

RELACS project partners Soil Association and Scotland Rural University College developed practical guidelines for farmers and farm advisors on using faecal egg counts to improve worm control in organic sheep farming. The latest project practice abstract describes how faecal egg counts can be a powerful tool determining the levels of worm infections on farm and

RELACS project on track despite Covid-19: First digital annual meeting

The RELACS project’s third annual meeting took place digitally 10-12 November. It demonstrated that research in all work packages is advancing despite Covid-19. Thanks to the motivation and dedication of all project partners, RELACS already published more than five scientific publications and a policy briefing on the organic approach to inputs. The development of practice

Replacement of copper in organic farming – First results of RELACS experiments conducted by ÖMKi

Copper is currently used as a plant protection product (PPP) and/or leaf fertilizer in organic and conventional farming in several European countries. However, its use is controversial, which is why the European research project RELACS (Replacement of Contentious Inputs in Organic Farming Systems) is looking for alternatives. To understand the significance of copper usage and

Farm gate nutrient budgets in organic agriculture

The RELACS project partners issued practical guidelines informing farmers about assessing the main nutrient flows in and out of their farm with a dedicated Excel tool. The tool reveals whether farms have a nutrient surplus or deficit. Based on the results, farmers are enabled to adjust their nutrient flows to achieve a balanced nutrient budget.

Read about heather as an alternative to control worms in sheep in RELACS’ news story

Anthelmintic resistance is spreading globally, impacting the environment and animal welfare. This is why the organic sector is seeking non-chemical complements or alternatives. The RELACS partner Scotland Rural University College (SRUC) investigated the anthelmintic efficacy of heather extracts by performing a comparative analysis of extracts obtained from two heather species. Read the news story “Can

Join IFOAM EU’s session on “How much natural inputs does the organic sector need?” during Biofach

Do you want to learn more about how much natural inputs are needed in the organic sector? Participate in IFOAM EU‘s session on “How much natural inputs does the organic sector need?” at Biofach 2020 on February 12 from 11.00-10.45 in Room Riga and meet Isabella Lang, Policy Coordinator at IFOAM EU.

From Italy to Japan – Findings on behavioural manipulation as an alternative to the use of paraffin oil in greenhouse whitefly control presented in Japan

We just published our third news story, focusing on the experience of Valeria Fattoruso, researcher at RELACS’ partner University of Trento. Her research aims at finding environmentally sound solutions to control the population of one of the most harmful insect pests, namely the greenhouse whitefly, to replace the common use of paraffin oils. Her outstanding