Brussels, 18/03/2016 (Agence Europe) - For the environment, public health and the emergence of a circular economy based on resource efficiency and innovation, it is time to promote the marketing in the EU of organic fertilisers rather than only chemically produced fertilisers, the Commission believes.
To this end, on Thursday 17 March, it proposed amending European rules on fertilisers (European Parliament and Council Regulation EC No 2003/2003) extending its scope to organic and waste-based fertilisers and easing the access of these innovative fertilisers to the EU market, putting them on a level playing field with traditional, non-organic fertilisers, typically extracted from mines or produced chemically.
The Commission believes that the new legislation will create new market opportunities for innovative companies while at the same time reducing waste, energy consumption and environmental damage (contamination of the soil, inland and marine waters and foodstuffs). This draft European regulation, announced in December 2015 in the action plan for a circular economy, is the first to be proposed (see EUROPE 11444).
“Very few of the abundant bio-waste resources are transformed into valuable fertilising products. Our farmers are using fertilisers manufactured from imported resources or from energy-intensive processes although our industry could valorise these bio-wastes in recycled nutrients. This Regulation will help us turn problems into opportunities for farmers and businesses”, said Commission Vice-President responsible for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness Jyrki Katainen.
The draft revised regulation is innovative on a number of counts:
- it will guarantee free movement of all CE-marked fertilising products across the EU (the current rules cover only inorganic fertilisers and agronomic additives, production of which is energy intensive and has high CO2 emissions). The current regulation does not apply to innovative fertilisers produced from organic material. To be able to access the market, organic fertilisers must currently be mutually recognised among member states, an often complicated exercise because of differing national rules.
- since some fertilisers are not produced or traded in large quantities across the EU, the Commission is proposing optional harmonisation: depending on their business strategy and the type of product, manufacturers will be able to choose whether or not to affix the CE mark. This ensures that the principles of better regulation and subsidiarity are taken into account, the Commission underlines.
- it introduces strict limits for cadmium in phosphate fertilisers. The limits will be tightened from 60 mg/kg to 40 mg/kg after three years and to 20 mg/kg after 12 years, reducing health and environmental risks.
- it introduces new harmonised requirements for all CE-marked fertilisers on quality (for example, minimum nutrient content and organic matter content), safety (such as maximum limits for heavy metals, including cadmium, for organic contaminants, for microbial contaminants and for impurities specific to each category of fertilising products) and labelling.
Generating value from recovered raw materials is one of the drivers of the circular economy. The Commission points out that, at present, only 5% of bio-waste is recycled. Yet, according to estimates, if more bio-waste was recycled, it could replace up to 30% of non-organic fertilisers. Currently, the EU imports around 6 million tonnes of phosphates a year but could replace up to 30% of this total by extraction from sewage sludge, biodegradable waste, meat and bone meal or manure. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)