2024 is set to be a milestone year for Sea2Soil, as further investment in the UK’s first fish hydrolysate-based organic soil product will fund additional farm-set trials and research with the NIAB and other Universities.
To spearhead this proactive development and continued diversification, Sea2Soil has appointed new Business Development Manager, Grant James. Joining Pelagia to develop sales of Sea2Soil through the UK and Ireland, Grant’s arrival is a sign of demand for innovative advances in the industry and advances in soil technology continues at pace.
“Arriving at Pelagia to champion this new business development role will enable us to move forward and establish bio soil conditioners in the marketplace,” said Grant. Bringing more than 25 years of experience to Sea2Soil, Grant offers a wealth of knowledge across agronomy and commercial business development having worked for Monsanto, Nufarm, and the Olmix Group.
For over a century Pelagia, the North Atlantic’s largest producer of marine proteins, has been processing fish for human consumption and utilising fish by-products to make highly nutritious fish meal and fish oils for the animal feed industry. Pelagia is committed to this industry championing a zero waste policy, and as such has developed the UK’s first liquid fish hydrolysate product for use as an organic soil improver. Sea2Soil is approved by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and by the Soil Association for organic farming systems.
Sea2Soil contains a full range of naturally balanced amino acids, fatty acids and an array of macro and micronutrients. Sea2Soil works by feeding the soil bacteria that convert the macro and micro-nutrients contained in the hydrolysate into a form that is more readily available to the plants. In turn, the improved microbial population feeds secondary and higher-level soil life such as protozoa, nematodes, and earthworms which work to improve soil structure by aerating the soil leading to better root development and reduction in abiotic stress. These macro-organisms also contribute to better soil nutrient availability within the soil.
Pelagia started to develop the product in 2019 at its Scottish salmon by-product processing plant in Bressay on the Shetland Isles. Traditionally, such by-products are mixed and used as an anaerobic digestion feedstock. But Pelagia saw the potential to retain the integrity of this rich source of essential amino acids, fats, and macro and micronutrients and offer it in as pure a form as possible that could easily be incorporated into many formulations.
“For the past three years we have been refining our process to produce an organic soil improver that is affordable, delivers on yield responses, reduces reliance on chemical inputs and is farmer friendly,” says Dr Geraldine Fox who led the development team at Pelagia. “We see Sea2Soil as far more than a natural source of nitrogen, but as a soil prebiotic that leads to a healthier soil environment; better crop health; a reduced reliance on synthetic fertilisers; and promotion of regenerative ecosystems.”
Sea2Soil has been trialled on farm-scale crops such as wheat, barley, oilseed rape, oats and beans across the UK since 2020. Pelagia can report that crop yield was either maintained or showed an increase, with an improved return on investment. The company continues to work on enterprises ranging from vineyards to orchards and Christmas trees, in addition to collaborating with various research groups.
Contractor Paul Davey, of Girsby Farm Services in Lincolnshire, has been using Sea2Soil. He said: “There are visible benefits for maintaining growth in the herbal ley, which received a 10 litres/ha Sea2Soil application through fertiliser streamer nozzles. This application stimulated a good deal of growth within three weeks in a very dry time.
“Two applications of 10 litres/ha of Sea2Soil on the spring beans during the same dry spell improved the canopy growth of the beans and removed the chlorotic symptoms of stress, significantly improving the verdancy of the plants,” he reported.
