The €1.7 million Upper Erne Slurry Solutions project, known as the Ssuper EIP, is seeking to recruit six farmers within a 15km radius of Cootehill, Co. Cavan, to take part in the project.

The Ssuper EIP is based on the bio-remediation of slurry through separation and inoculation.

Its aim is to transform slurry into a more valuable on-farm resource that benefits the land, farmers' pockets and the local environment by reducing run-off, lowering greenhouse gas emissions and odour while increasing storage capacity on the farm.

The project kicked off in June 2025 and currently works with six farmers in the region.

It covers livestock farms from suckler to dairy, organic and conventional.

The team behind the project is now looking to bring in six more farmers to begin running on-farm separation, soil and slurry testing of biological inoculums to improve slurry and benefit soil health.

Speaking at the launch in June, dairy farmer and chair of the Cavan Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association (ICMSA) - and project participant - Gerard O’Reilly said: "Slurry is one of the best resources we as farmers have inside our farm gate.

"This project helps farmers to see the true value of slurry and understand the positive impact it can have on soil, grass growth and the farmer's overall bottom line."

The EIP project's aim is to put the farmers front and foremost in research.

The project team said every farmer who takes part in the Ssuper EIP is "a stakeholder in its objectives" and will get to work alongside other partners, such as Vogelsang Ireland.

Ssuper EIP

The team has been working on-farm with farmers, separating slurry, taking soil and slurry samples and accessing them using regenerative soil microscopy and DNA analysis.

They are currently developing inoculums to treat both the liquid and dry matter making it more bioavailable and beneficial to the farmers' soil.

The project has all the necessary equipment on trailers, making it easier to move from farm to farm, from slurry separators to compost tuners.

Slurry, once split into the liquid and dry matter is easily spread and used by the farmer focusing on soil health and local environment.

The project is also focused on providing educational modules to the farmer concentrating on areas including soil health and grassland management.

Project manager Denise Moran said: "The project is expected to show that through bioremediation of slurry we can improve its management for the farmer and environment from soil health to water quality.

"The improved slurry management practices should reduce nutrient losses, reduce dependency on chemical fertiliser and overall improve on-farm resource efficiency."

The Slurry Solutions EIP is co-funded by the EU and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).