On Monday 9 February, the European Commission officially adopted a new directive on REcovered Nitrogen from manURE (RENURE), which will help reduce EU farmers’ dependence on imported fertilisers.
This new directive amends the one on nitrates (91/676/EEC) and will allow RENURE fertilisers to be used over the ceilings for spreading slurry and processed slurry set by the Nitrates Directive.
This will give Member States and farmers the opportunity to replace chemical fertilisers with RENURE fertilisers.
This use will be carried out under safety conditions guaranteeing the ongoing protection of water and the environment. The use of RENURE fertilisers may present a risk of nitrogen emissions through volatilisation from the soil. To avoid any negative environmental impact, “appropriate fertiliser land application techniques should be observed such as injection, immediate incorporation of surface-applied materials, or equivalent measures”, according to the text.
In addition, the measures should reduce costs for farmers and strengthen the European agricultural sector’s strategic autonomy by reducing dependence on imported fertilisers.
Following a vote by the Member States’ representatives on the Nitrates Committee on 19 September, the proposal was forwarded to European Parliament and the EU Council for consideration. Neither institution objected to the proposed changes (see EUROPE 13713/15).
The new directive (https://aeur.eu/f/kn7 ) will come into force twenty days after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. It will only apply in Member States that choose to authorise RENURE fertilisers, which will then be required to transpose this amendment into their national law. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)