A new nutrient-rich biofertiliser has been launched by leading food waste recycler ReFood. Known as ReGrow, the highly sustainable fertiliser is said to work wonders for soil fertility and crop productivity.
With high levels of key growth nutrients including nitrogen (N), potassium (K) and phosphorous (P), ReGrow can typically double yields if applied as part as a comprehensive crop strategy. A 30 cubic metre/ha application of ReGrow will provide 144kg of N, 14kg of P and 23kg of K. Analysis has shown that an impressive 80 per cent of the total N in food-based biofertiliser is present as readily available nitrogen, compared to 70 per cent in pig slurry and 45 per cent in cattle slurry.
A launch event for the product took place at ReFood’s state-of-the-art gas-to-grid anaerobic digestion (AD) plant at Widnes, Cheshire, that was attended by some of the UK’s leading agronomists, local farmers and other industry stakeholders.
ReGrow is produced by recycling food waste via AD, where food waste rots naturally in the absence of oxygen. The fertiliser this process produces is rich in the valuable nutrients contained within food and is entirely natural. The closed loop process – which sees recycled food waste used to help grow new crops – is a highly sustainable alternative to manufactured fertilisers, and eliminates the need for mining minerals to produce inorganic fertilisers.
Since ReFood opened its first AD plant at Doncaster in 2011, the company has been developing its ReGrow product and working with leading agronomists Anna Becvar from Earthcare Technical and Matthew Taylor from ADAS. The first phase of product development was to secure PAS 110 certification for the AD digestate, which established the waste material as a product suitable for use on arable land. Moving forward, the ReGrow team will be working closely with the agronomists to help develop advice for farmers to gain the best results from using the fertiliser.
Pictured above at the ReGrow launch are (from Left) ReFood commercial manager Richard Poskitt; agronomist Anna Becvar of Earthcare Technical; ADAS agronomist Matthew Taylor; and ReFood commercial director Philip Simpson.
“ReFood digestate is a valuable ‘bag’ fertiliser replacement product, when used as part of an integrated approach to crop nutrient management,” Ms Becvar said.
ReFood commercial director Philip Simpson said the company was delighted to have launched ReGrow under the biofertiliser scheme for everyone from large-scale farmers and commercial gardeners, through to consumers to utilise for either food crops or flower beds.
“The trials that we’ve conducted during the past two years have demonstrated that the product can produce real benefits,” he added. “The fact that ReGrow ensures that the good nutrients found in the food we waste end up back in the land, rather than rotting in a landfill site, makes using ReGrow a win-win.”
Yorkshire farmer Jonathan Metcalfe has been using ReGrow for the past two years as part of initial product trials, finding it simple to store and spread he would strongly recommend it to other farmers. He said ReGrow biofertiliser had already made him significant cost savings in comparison with chemical fertilisers.
“The digestate itself is of a consistently high standard which explains the speed at which ReFood Doncaster achieved its PAS 110 accreditation,” he added. “The nutrients are in a very available state for crops to use and as a result they’re taken up quickly. I would strongly recommend ReGrow to other farmers.”
For more information visit: www.regrow-biofertiliser.com.
