envirant

About the project

Collaborative science for a more sustainable livestock and environment

Executive summary | Objectives | Working groups

Network of European and international researchers

ENVIRANT is a network of European and international researchers dedicated to studying the environmental impact of anthelmintic drugs used in livestock and developing sustainable strategies to minimize their use.

The initiative is chaired by Dr María Martínez Valladares (Spanish National Research Council, CSIC) and vice-chaired by Dr Smaragda Sotiraki (Hellenic Agricultural Organization, HAO-DEMETER).

Executive summary

Pasture-based animal production systems play a vital role in promoting sustainable farming practices in Europe. These systems rely on grass grazing as an affordable feed source on the farm. However, these systems have certain disadvantages, particularly concerning animal health since grazing livestock are very susceptible to infections caused by helminth parasites.

These infections can impose a substantial economic burden on the food production system and the most commonly used method for their control is the administration of anthelmintic drugs. However, these drugs have been considered recently emerging contaminants because their presence in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems poses significant environmental risks.

Under this context, the objective of ENVIRANT is to advance, consolidate and disseminate research and knowledge on the environmental occurrence and ecological impact of anthelmintics administered to livestock and to propose more sustainable practices and methods to minimize their use in the control of helminth infections.

This Action aims to:

(i) to monitor the sale, use and efficacy of anthelmintics in European livestock farming;

(ii) to investigate factors related to farming practices, the environment and climatic conditions that favour the persistence of anthelmintics in the environment;

(iii) to assess the impact of anthelmintic residues on ecosystems;

(iv) to develop sustainable methods to reduce the use of anthelmintics in a variety of European settings;

(v) to conduct socio-psychological research on barriers that may arise in the implementation of sustainable methods;

(vi) to model the impact of anthelmintic use, considering both animal health benefits and ecosystem risks through benefit-risk assessment.

Objectives of ENVIRANT

General objective of the Action is to create a network to bring together experts in the field of measuring anthelmintic residues in the environment and their impact and to foster the scientific exchange of knowledge needed to reduce the use of anthelmintics in livestock and to evaluate new and more sustainable methods.

1) Research coordination objectives

Coordinate the compilation of information on current occurrence, analytical methodologies and impact of anthelmintic residues and their metabolites in different ecosystems, as well as identify the gaps to formulate new road maps for future research to enhance the understanding of residue dynamics.

Analyse which factors related to farming practices (including those related to the administration of anthelmintic drugs and manure management), environment and climatic conditions favour the persistence of anthelmintic residues.

Explore the economic viability of alternative and sustainable methods to reduce the use of anthelmintics in a variety of European environments, farming practices and animal species, considering the desires and constraints of stakeholders, mainly farmers or veterinarians. This will require the incorporation of techniques and knowledge from social sciences.

Measure the benefit-risk ratio of reducing the use of drugs, through the adoption of sustainable methods and in different European farming systems, on animal health, farm productivity and environmental impact. Mathematical trade-off models will be used for this purpose.

2) Capacity-building objectives

Support policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders in considering the outputs of the Action in a regulatory context, making well-informed decisions and developing strategies to ensure the sustainable use of anthelmintics while minimizing adverse ecological impacts.

Strengthen the research capabilities of the researchers involved in the Action, especially Young Researchers and Innovators, or from nations or areas with limited capabilities, Inclusiveness Target Countries.

Train the following capabilities: i) analytical methods for residue determination; ii) measuring the impact on different ecosystems; iii) sustainable methods to control helminth infections; iv) quantitative surveys and focus groups under the context of social science; v) qualitative and mixed methods research for scientists.

Capacitate individuals and institutions not only to conduct high quality research, but also to effectively communicate results, influence policymakers and contribute to the long-term sustainability of practices in the field of anthelmintic use in livestock.

Foster collaboration among researchers and institutions, both at a national and international level, across various fields such as environmental ecologists, toxicologists, biologists, agronomists, parasitologists, social researchers, economists and mathematical modellers.

Establish partnerships and facilitate networking opportunities to create a collaborative environment that enables the sharing of knowledge and resources

Bridge the gap between research and applied science by promoting the exchange of experiences between stakeholders, mainly end-users, as veterinarians and farmers, but also by encouraging private sector participation, industry and small and medium-sized enterprises, in order to implement economically viable measures for the sustainable control of helminth parasitic diseases.

Develop tools for distributing information and educational materials to increase awareness among farmers, veterinarians, the media, and policymakers. The objective is to furnish them with a dependable source of information and a reference point regarding the occurrence and impact of anthelmintics on the environment.

We organize ourselves into different specialized Working Groups

WG1

Anthelmintic residue occurrence in environment and associated factors: integrating farm practices and environmental dimensions

WG2 Environmental impact of anthelmintic residues: assessing repercussion and risk in ecosystem

WG2

Environmental impact of anthelmintic residues: assessing repercussion and risk in ecosystems

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The main objective is to identify knowledge gaps on the different components of the environmental risk assessment of anthelmintics where more intense research is needed to mitigate their environmental impact. This main goal will be achieved through a series of more specific objectives: (i) to gather fragmented knowledge regarding the environmental impact of anthelmintics on off-target organisms indigenous to receiving environmental compartments (ii) to identify and quantify the contribution of the main routes of exposure of the receiving environments to anthelmintics (iii) to review and identify weaknesses and limitations of the environmental risk assessment of anthelmintic compounds.

WG3

Green farms: redesigning helminth control with more sustainable solutions

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The ultimate goal of this WG is to determine the feasibility and practicality of sustainable worm control practices and to design and provide tools to support their implementation. Although a ‘Basket of options’ has been previously identified in the previous COST Action COMBAR, along with a certain number of ‘best practices’ to avoid the irrational use of anthelmintic drugs, in ENVIRANT it will be investigated which of these options best fit in certain farmer communities or in different countries/regions of Europe. Researchers, together with end users, farmers and veterinarians, will select which sustainable worm control practices will be applied in specific animal populations, for particular management systems (dairy or meat farms), in order to determine the animal productivity and economic profitability of the applied practices.

WG4

Overcoming barriers: to implement sustainable worm control practices

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The objective of this WG is to determine which are the barriers and incentives when applying sustainable methods for worm control in grazing animals with the aim to reduce the impact of anthelmintic drugs on the environment. So far, some preliminary factors have been identified with potentially large geographical differences between northern and southern European countries, although the study was carried out with a very reduced number of countries. In ENVIRANT, these factors will be reviewed and reformulated during a Workshop to be studied in a larger number of European regions or countries, with special attention to southern and eastern European countries, and also considering possible differences between European regions. These methods have been previously described as ‘Basket of options’ and ‘good practices’ (and they will be tested in WG3) and were designed by parasitologists. ENVIRANT will seek input from the end-users to match the right tools with the right farmers (co-creation, participatory approach).

WG5

Benefit-risk assessment of anthelmintic use

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The objective of this WG is to provide a balanced and evidence-based understanding of the overall impact of anthelmintic use, considering both the beneficial effects of the control of parasitic worms for animal health and the associated risks to ecosystems. This balance is needed to make decisions for maximum societal benefit, yet evidence on benefits and risks is currently generated and interpreted separately. A unified trade-off model will be developed based on the outputs received from the previous WGs (WG1-4). The assumptions and results of these models will be discussed with the involved stakeholders.

WG6

Community building, dissemination and communication

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This WG will aim at the effective dissemination and outreach of the Action results. The main objective is to transfer the scientific knowledge that will be created to all audiences, ensuring the visibility of the Action and its developed outcomes at European and International levels. In addition, this WG will support the other WGs in all tasks related to community building, communication and dissemination of the results of the Action to stakeholders and policymakers. These tasks also include in particular the support of the organization of Workshops or Training Schools, the development of dissemination materials (e.g. reports, fact sheets) and the support the coordination of the STSMs, VM and different grants, in line with MC decisions.

Transforming research into real impact

Pan-European environment

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Interconnected, interdisciplinary, collaborative, and data-intensive

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