Background In the Spanish autonomous region of Aragón, almost 10 million pigs are produced annually. Pig production and related activities have major economic and social relevance for the region. However, pig farming generates a slurry volume of 13.5 million m3 per year in the region and is responsible for pollutant emissions from non-point sources to surface water, ground water and air. This is a particular problem in areas of highly concentrated pig-rearing where the land cannot cope with the amount of slurry generated. Before the project started, the Regional Government of Aragón had introduced an Integrated Waste Management Plan of Aragón (GIRA). This addressed the need to find a comprehensive solution to the environmental and social problems caused by waste. The plan has aimed to reduce waste generation in all sectors and enhance reusing and recycling. Objectives The LIFE ES-WAMAR project aimed to improve the management of pig slurry so as to minimise its environmental impact by introducing an integrated management model for the processing and distribution of pig slurry. It sought to match the needs of arable farmers for fertilisers with the need of pig farmers to dispose of their slurry appropriately and economically through collective action. It thus planned to: reduce soil, water and air contamination - especially nitrates from non-point sources – in areas around pig farms; and maximise nutrient recycling through the valorisation of the pig slurry on arable land. The management model also aimed to improve economic efficiency and minimise the energy requirements of the waste management. The project planned to demonstrate the feasibility and sustainability of the correct integrated management model of swine waste at three sites in Aragón: Tauste, Maestrazgo and Peñarroya. It thus showed that the same model adapted to local circumstances could respond effectively to different locations. Results This ambitious project successfully demonstrated the effectiveness and notable environmental, social and economic benefits of implementing local integrated systems for managing pig slurry. The ES-WAMAR project carried out an environmental assessment in each of the three project areas selected. Three companies were set up - Tauste CGE, SI Maestrazgo and Tastavins CGE – as dedicated pig slurry management enterprises for each pilot area. The enterprises brought together interested farmers into a collective, formalised through specific contracts. Each company was responsible for planning, organising and implementing manure collection, treatment (where needed), distribution and field application. In Maestrazgo and Tauste, the management was based on the collection and distribution of pig slurry from pig farms either via storage tanks, or directly via road or pipeline networks to the field. In Peñarroya, the collected slurry was transported by lorry or pipeline to a treatment plant for the production of a concentrated solid fertilizer and a liquid fertiliser (waste water). This reduced the transport costs for the solid part, as it is more concentrated and allowed the liquid fertilizer to be applied to arable land locally in quantities that the ground could cope with. These management schemes were supported by use of BATs, including IT tools. It developed software - a Global Waste Management Tool – to support and optimise slurry management, and enable continuous assessment of and improvements to the schemes. The quantity of slurry managed increased steadily during the project implementation. The total volume of managed manure exceeded 800 000 m3 by the project end. The total volume of slurry treated in the plant reached 100 000 m3. The collective management approach was found to enable cost-sharing, improved energy efficiency and higher control of field application, as well as ensuring support and engagement with the overall environmental aims of improved waste management. This was further supported by information and training events for technicians and farmers and the creation of 16 permanent jobs. The value of pig manure as organic fertilizer was demonstrated and widely accepted by farmers. The project did not run long enough to monitor changes in pollution levels of air, soil and water, however positive trends were felt to be evident by all the authorities engaged. The key environmental benefits of the management approach are reduced nitrogen overload of the soil surrounding pig farms – reducing diffuse pollution - and replacement of chemical fertilizers with natural fertilizer on arable land – reducing energy demand and greenhouse gas production. Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report(see "Read more" section).