This Is How the Scientific Core of DAIRITAL Is Progressing

“Cooperation is in your hands”

Our Roadmap: Progress in the First Quarter of 2026

During the first three months of 2026, all efforts of the consortium have focused on finalising the working methodologies, refining coordination among partners, and completing the necessary contracts and agreements to successfully launch the experimental activities of WP1 (Research and Strategy).

The emphasis has been on making solid, joint advances in Action 1.1, one of the project’s most ambitious actions, where we are investigating innovative and multidisciplinary solutions to improve the social, environmental, and economic sustainability of dairy farms within the SUDOE territory.

Action 1.1: What Are We Investigating?

Action 1.1 is divided into six parallel tasks that will lay the foundations for the Transnational Strategy:

T1.1.1 – Recovery of Wastewater (cattle)
Characterisation and potential agronomic uses to reduce environmental impact and advance towards more efficient water cycles.

T1.1.2 – Recovery of manure, slurry and whey
Analysis of treatments, reuse options, and practical recommendations for sheep and cattle farms.

T1.1.3 – New digital tools based on MIR (sheep)
Development of numerical models to quickly and cost‑effectively predict sheep milk quality using MIR spectra.

T1.1.4 – Biochemical solutions applied to manure (cattle)
Assessment of the effect of additives used in slurry to reduce emissions and improve animal health and the health of fertilised fields.

T1.1.5 – Digital application to detect cheese defects
A tool for cheesemakers to diagnose defects, identify causes, and receive recommendations to recover the product, thereby reducing food waste.

T1.1.6 – Impact of production changes on milk quality (sheep and cattle)
Including the study of once‑a‑day milking and its effects on sheep milk and cheese quality, and producers’ practices including the social aspect by work, and the analysis of the effect of automatic milking systems on the foaming properties of cow’s milk.

On Schedule: WP1 Progress Meeting

This trimester, we held an online progress meeting with the leaders of each WP1 task. The objective: to ensure that all technical, methodological, and contractual elements are completed on time so that we may advance to the next phase of the project.

Thanks to this coordinated work, we can guarantee that all WP1 activities will be completed according to schedule, enabling the long‑awaited pilot actions of WP2 to begin on real farms in 2027.

What Awaits Us in the Second Trimester?: Next Steps

Intensification of experimental activity
The WP1 tasks are entering a phase of more intensive experimental work on farms—carrying out sampling—and in research centres, with analytical tasks and interpretation of results.
Launch of tasting panels
Tasting panels, sampling, and the corresponding analyses will be organised and consolidated to identify cheese defects and feed the digital tool now under development.
In‑person meeting in Roquefort
We will meet again in person in Roquefort to review progress, align objectives, and continue strengthening transnational cooperation.

Coming Soon…: More Visual Content

Given the demanding work ahead of us in the second quarter of 2026, the next newsletter will share more visual material, images of the experimental work, team testimonials, and key advancements from summer 2026.

Every step we take is the result of cooperation between regions, disciplines, and people

Thank you for being part of this project!

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Links: DAIRITAL – Interreg Sudoe | https://www.linkedin.com/company/interreg-sudoe-dairital/ | https://www.instagram.com/dairital.sudoe?igsh=MWI3MTNmM3Z3Z3hvaA==

Newsletter: This Is How the Scientific Core of DAIRITAL Is Progressing