The European Commission will adopt its long-awaited Communication on fertilisers on 9 November, the EU Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, said in Luxembourg on Monday 17 October.
The EU agriculture ministers discussed the situation of the agricultural markets and the effects of the war in Ukraine on the various sectors.
One of the biggest concerns is the availability of fertiliser (see EUROPE 13037/6).
The Commissioner confirmed to the ‘Agriculture’ Council that the Communication will include ways to make the European fertiliser industry “less dependent on external and unreliable sources”.
The paper is also expected to examine State aid and other forms of financial support to farmers and the fertiliser sector. It is essential to ensure that fertilisers are available and affordable, according to the Europeans.
The effectiveness of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)’s strategic plans will also be reviewed. Solutions to the fertiliser problem should be found through various measures: inputs from precision farming, planning of fertiliser use and incentives for organic alternatives to traditional fertilisers.
The fertiliser shortage is not just a European problem; it has a global dimension, as EU decisions on fertilisers will have an impact on the most vulnerable countries where food insecurity prevails.
The Commission also wants to reaffirm that, despite the current context of food safety concerns, it will not lose sight of the long-term objective of a more sustainable use of fertilisers and, therefore, of a reduction in their use, in line with the objectives of the ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy (-20% by 2030).
In addition, Belgium and other Member States (the Netherlands, Hungary, Spain, Poland, Estonia, Portugal...) have advocated for legislative proposals to allow RENURE fertilisers to be used outside of the limited amounts of manure in vulnerable areas. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)