Mr. Clémence Mariage, Axe Echanges Eau-Sol-Plantes, GxABT, Liege University, Belgium

1. REQUASUD : the walloon
laboratory network
Belgium
Clémence MARIAGE
Gilles COLINET

2. Status of establishment: established in 1989
Official name of the National Soil Laboratory Network: REQUASUD (regional
Laboratory Network – South part of Belgium)
Actual procedure for establishing the National Soil Laboratory Network (in steps):
1. 1970’s: hear about NIR spectroscopy and want to develop it in Wallonia
2. 1970’s – 80’s: for the same soil sample, the farmer can get different analytical
results and fertility advices. Creation of “Walloon soil commission” in 1982
3. 1989: creation of REQUASUD, a laboratory network
4. 1994: first official agreement (written document between all the partners)
Routine laboratories Users (farmers, citizens,…)Research laboratories

3. Actual number of laboratories in the network: 5 (for soil; may be more for other matrices)
(routine laboratories only)

4. Actual number of laboratories in the network: 5 (for soil; may be more for other matrices)
Please specify if you received any help to establish the network by a donor/international
initiative/etc. (please specify) : regular public funds (regional and provincial)
Obstacles encountered
during the establishment
of the network
How did you overcome
the obstacle?
Notes
During the establishment,
nothing specific
Nowadays, less and less
money and people for the
same amount (or more) of
work
Funds of the labs
Fix the priorities between
all the tasks
Interested in your
suggestions to overcome
the obstacle
All the partners don’t have
the same priorities
Try to fix the priorities by
the majority

5. In case you are presenting about a already established network, please briefly report on
the main activities (including meetings) implemented by the network so far:
- Database: collecting and sharing (http://www.requaconsult.requasud.be/)
- Comparison and development of analytical methods (organic carbon, sulphur, CEC, NIR,
pollutants, etc)
- Working group on fertility advices (PKMgSN, liming)
- Helping tools for sampling: generalization of GPS in the labs in the 90’s, REQUACARTO
(http://requacarto.cra.wallonie.be)
+ online analytical request available for farmers

6. In case you are presenting about a already established network, please briefly report on
the main activities (including meetings) implemented by the network so far:
- Organization of PTs: harmonization of the analytical methods, global improvement of
services proposed by the routine labs, etc
- Writing of SOPs
- Reference Materials (MR): sampled, prepared and distributed to be used as witness in
the routine analyses
- Interlaboratory audits: help each other to improve and get official accreditation
- Trainings (ISO standards, analytical methods, equipments, etc)
- Common answer to requests from the agriculture needs and questions (political or
field levels)
- Collaboration with the other research laboratories (other matrices) as links may be
done (soils – manure – NIR technology, etc)
- Partnership with other agricultural structures to move forward all together and give a
unique message to the users

7. Thanks for your
attention