An €8 million European research project is aiming to help farmers improve productivity in grassland livestock production systems.

The GrassWise project held its initial meeting at the Teagasc Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co. Cork yesterday (Tuesday, November 3).

The four-year research project involves 13 European countries and New Zealand, along with 20 research organisations.

GrassWise will focus on generating and benchmarking grassland data across Europe’s nine pedoclimatic zones, from boreal to Mediterranean regions.

The researchers will integrate partner farmer networks, satellite observations, and grassland decision support tools and datasets.

GrassWise

The project network spans Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Italy, Greece, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Romania, Serbia, and New Zealand.

GrassWise will work with 135 partner farms and nine communities in the development of an integrated European grassland data platform.

The project will deliver a new generation of decision-support tools enabling farmers to improve grassland management and adopt profitable, low-emission, circular practices.

Prof. Michael O’Donovan, head of the Teagasc Grassland Science Research Department is the coordinator of GrassWise.

"This is an ambitious and exciting European grassland project which we built on solid foundations and has a novel approach.

"The project will measure, monitor, and benchmark European grasslands within the project life span, and we hope to develop long term grassland datasets which European grassland farmers can use beyond the project lifetime.

"That makes this project unique," he said.

Prof. O'Donovan added that the project is "ambitious in its objectives but realistic".

"Action-ready, rooted in real farming practice, the project is well aligned with the EU’s sustainability goals, but is really focussed on developing more insights in grassland science across Europe," he said.

Dr. Deirdre Hennessy, University College Cork (UCC) and GrassWise work package leader added:

"Through field-based research and data analyses, GrassWise aims to provide farmers with data and knowledge to improve the productivity of grassland-based livestock production systems as well as enhance feed quality, nutrient use efficiency, grassland biodiversity, and other grassland ecosystem services".

Launch

The GrassWise project was formally launched by Ireland South MEP Billy Kelleher.

"This project is timely as it will develop new innovations to better capitalise on the sustainability of grassland systems across the nine European pedoclimatic zones," he said.

"This is the first grassland-focussed Horizon Europe project led by Ireland, and places Ireland firmly as a European leader in grassland science.

"This is appropriate given Ireland’s tradition of grass-based milk and meat production," the MEP added.