Jersey couple create fertiliser out of seaweed from island's beaches

A couple from Jersey have started making fertiliser out of seaweed, handpicked from the island's beaches. Francesca Stammers and Loftur Loftsson, who run The Jersey Seaweed Company, say their aim is to have a positive impact on the environment.

Seaweed has a whole range of uses from animal feed to cosmetics and even as a bio fuel - but now it is being made into a powerful natural fertiliser, which the couple say is the perfect alternative to chemicals.

Loftur Loftsson said: "We saw fields being sprayed with artificial chemicals and chemicals in garden centres and at the same time an abundance of seaweed on the beach. Jersey's got a proud heritage of using seaweed to grow Jersey Royals and other vegetables and so we thought we can probably figure out a way to bring this into the 21st century."

Collecting seaweed from Jersey's beaches, or vraic as it's locally referred to as, has been happening for centuries. Credit: Société Jersiaise

Collecting seaweed from Jersey's beaches, or vraic as it is locally referred to as, has been happening for centuries. It was historically used for manure, particularly on potato crops. A tradition, that the couple are hoping Farmers will adopt once more.

The couple say the process of collecting and making the feriliser is a simple one: "We wash it, we chop it up, we remove any little critters that we've taken home with us and return them to the beach and then we ferment it in barrels. After this, we add some enzymes, some bacteria and we let it all break down into a concentrate and that's the process it's nice and simple, its ecologically friendly and most importantly sustainable.