HEALTHY ENVIRONMENTAL-FRIENDLY AND RESILIENT FARM TO FORK

Project Information

HE-FARM

Grant agreement ID: 101084097

DOI

10.3030/101084097

Project closed

EC signature date 7 October 2022

Start date 1 November 2022

End date 28 February 2026

Funded under

• Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment

Total cost

€ 4 999 859,00

EU contribution

€ 4 999 859,00

Coordinated by

UNIVERSIDAD DE ALCALA
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - HE-FARM (HEALTHY ENVIRONMENTAL-FRIENDLY AND RESILIENT FARM TO FORK)

Reporting period: 2022-11-01 to 2024-04-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

In spite of the huge number of pathogens and diseases, the number of “transmission channels” or “transport routes” for microorganisms to enter in a farm or any other Farm2Fork facility is indeed limited to just nine. Tracing or monitoring transport of a single or a few microorganisms using a particular channel will provide valuable information on the channel itself and therefore on the transport effectiveness for the whole set of microorganisms using that particular channel. HE-FARM will develop and validate a methodology -based on experimental assays and tests in lab & operational env- to assess and predict transport-channel resolved biosecurity and simultaneously increase maturity of several disruptive novel techs. A software will be created to help with these procedures and proposed as a draft for a future EN standard.
Prototypes of novel technologies for biosecurity will additionally be developed and validated in operational environment -including extensive and intensive cow, pig, chicken, turkey, sheep and snail farms, a slaughter and meat preparation plant and trucks:
Fast Integrated air-borne virus smart detector (PRRS and Avian Flue but easily extendable to other virus with an enormous like African Swine Fever whose early detection in air in minutes will have an enormous impact)
Sanitization by low-toxicity biocides & dynamic aggregation.
Low-toxicity insecticides & repellents & dynamic aggregation application & Env-Friendly Insect and Arachnids barrier and prevention techs.
Rapid Vehicle decon. station.
Biosecure & Env-Friendly Hall & Heat Venting and Cooling.
Portable Low-cost test-device for fast measuring microbiological metabolism.
Cold plasma farm water sanitization.
Usage and training procedures and manuals & assessment of performance method.
Finally at least other 3 biosecure techs externally provided will be experimentally tested.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Biosecurity Risk analysis for selected F2F facilities. This analysis has been done in several FarmtoFork facilities including several farms and a slaughter house as a basis for the next task.
Development of procedures and software for assessment of biosecurity in F2F. A new quantitative procedure and software associated has been developed.
Review of existing and under development standards regarding biosecurity in farms. This has included standards under ellaboration.
Experimental assesment of existing microorganisms in selected F2F (air and (fomites, surfaces, animals’ skin & intestine, food, water & waste)). Pig, poultry, cow, sheep and snail farms as well a slaughter house have been selected. It has demonstrated that several thousand species are present aerosolized.
Experimental assesment of existing microorganisms in selected F2F . Pig, poultry, cow, sheep and snail farms as well a slaughter house have been selected.
Experimental characterization of history of animals disease exposure through multiplexed serology...ongoing.
Engineering and prototyping vehicle fast decontamination station.
Development of aptamer for PRRS and Avian Influenza virus.
Design, engineering and prototyping of integrated air-borne respiratory pathogen (PRRS and Avian Influenza) smart sensor. Still in progress.
Design, engineering and prototyping Biosecure & Env Friendly HVAC. Two prototypes based on two technologies ready.
Design, engineering and prototyping Biosecure & Env Friendly Hall.
In vitro exploration of low-toxicity biocides (effectiveness and toxicity) still in progress.
Development of prototype of Portable Low-cost test-equipment for measuring microbiological metabolism.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

1.To create and validate a cost-effective & Standardizable Experimental Channel-resolved Biosecurity Assessment Methodology -including formally proposing a CEN Workshop Agreement (CWA) towards an EN standard.
2. To create and validate a Standardizable Channel-resolved cost&benefit Biosecurity Prediction Methodology and software/APP.
3. Development, assessment and validation up to TRL7 of a new technology for Monitoring pathogens in air -also useful for water and wastewater-.
4. Idem of low toxicity biocides, insecticides and repellents in combination with dynamic aggregation application.
5. Idem of a low-cost environmental friendly vehicle fast decontamination station. For its application to the farm environment, it would be desirable to keep a moderate investment, low operational cost and minimum environmental impact along with a high reliability and effectiveness.
6. Idem of Biosecure & Environmental Friendly HVAC. New technologies for dynamically collapsing air-borne matter (mentioned in objective 4) open the opportunity to improve and ensure air quality -including prevention of air-borne viruses- with a low environmental impact and low cost -and low maintenance even in farm environments. Objective 6 is to design and engineer a Biosecure & Environmental Friendly HVAC based on these techniques, build a prototype, validate it experimentally in lab and in operational environment including estimation of investment and operational costs.
7. Idem of Biosecure & Environmental Friendly Hall.
8. Idem of a Portable Low-cost test-equipment for measuring microbiological metabolic activity. An objective of the present project is to develop a portable prototype that could be applied in situ on the farms and validate it experimentally in operational environment.
9. Usage and training procedures and manuals. Some of the technologies to be developed in the present project will enable a fast and cheap assessment of how effective a particular application of a procedure or technology has been. Therefore, an objective of the present project will be to develop training procedures as well as a methodology to assess learning and correct execution of procedures.
10. Cold plasma water sanitization up to TRL7 in F2F. The mentioned PWS technology has never been validated in farms or F2F chains and the actual effects on animal health and productivity remain unknown.
After this project, more reseach- particularly epidemiological- will be required for some of the technologies to be assesed in a large population and real operational environment.

C. del Alamo holds a piglet during a sampling campaign

Linkedin welcome

Fast decontamination of a Snail Farm