Background Europe’s agricultural sector is linked with the pollution of surface waters, groundwaters and seas by nutrients and pesticide residues. Decreasing the dispersal of these pollutants is a priority for environmental programmes and regulations in France (i.e. ECOPHYTO 2018) and Europe (the Water Framework Directive and Directive 2008/105/EC on environmental quality standards in the field of water policy). Pollution of water mainly occurs through (i) passive diffusion as a result of spreading products on crops, and (ii) active pollution caused by washing machinery and tractors - most of the time at the same location. A French regulation (2006) prompts users to manage their wastes coming from phytosanitary treatments in various ways but with no specific technical requirements. As a result, cost and technical barriers often prevent the implementation of such processes for managing plant protection residues. The CBL and Barre Industries have developed a biological process to metabolise phytosanitary molecules, based on the use of bacteria selected in the laboratory. The process has been implemented over a five-year period on a test site and findings indicate a degradation efficiency of more than 90% of the phytopharmaceutical residues. Objectives The LIFE-PHYTOBARRE project aims to build on the results of these earlier tests and demonstrate the method's applicability in commercial conditions. This will involve further testing of biological processes to metabolise farm-based phytosanitary molecules using lab-selected bacteria. The project aims to achieve the following:Produce a technological solution that that it is easy to use and maintain; and Develop a solution that efficiently reduces pollution risks from farms working with different crops and phytosanitary products, as well as in various geographic locations and climates. The project's solution will be implemented at three demonstration sites to test its efficiency for farmers. As well as working to ensure the technology’s ease of future uptake by farmers, project actions will also focus on monitoring the degradation of pesticides over three years to validate the technology’s effectiveness. Different communication tools including videos will be used to highlight the technology’s opportunities and benefits for farmers in terms of changing their operations to improve waste management systems. Expected results: The project aims to achieve the following results: Demonstrate the new technology’s effectiveness; Change farmers' behaviour through a series of awareness-raising events and activities. These will target agricultural communities, local authorities, agricultural colleges, schools, and universities, as well as farmers directly; and Help European farmers to safely treat 360-800 tonnes of phytosanitary products on an annual basis.