European Commission’s Fertiliser Action Plan is facing sharp criticism from European farming organisations, which argue that it addresses neither the urgency of the price crisis nor to the risk of an impending food crisis (see EUROPE 13870/2).
According to EU farming organisations and cooperatives (Copa-Cogeca), the measures presented offer no immediate response likely to bring relief to farmers facing skyrocketing input costs.
Copa-Cogeca believes that some of the avenues mentioned, such as extending the RENURE derogation to digestates or market transparency, remain too vague and devoid of concrete commitments.
The lobby is urgently calling for the suspension of MFN (Most Favoured Nation) tariffs on fertilisers, with the exception of those from Russia and Belarus, in order to rapidly drive down supply costs.
It is also demanding temporary derogations from Nitrates Directive thresholds for the next cropping season in order to ease constraints on nutrient use. Furthermore, Copa-Cogeca is advocating immediate liquidity measures for farmers to offset the cash-flow pressures linked to input costs.
The organisation also criticises the lack of a response regarding the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM); it is calling for the mechanism to be suspended for fertilisers, arguing that its associated costs place a heavy burden on farms and cooperatives.
The European Council of Young Farmers (CEJA) welcomes certain short-term measures, such as CAP flexibility and cash-flow aid, but considers European support too fragmented across Member States and calls for the creation of a genuine European liquidity instrument. CEJA supports the EU’s decarbonisation trajectory (CBAM and Emissions Trading System, ETS), but is calling for the revenues generated to benefit the farming sector directly through an Agricultural Just Transition Fund.
According to IFOAM Organics Europe, the action plan rightly acknowledges the role of organic farming as a nutrient-efficient system, capable of reducing the use of synthetic nitrogen fertilisers by closing nutrient cycles and improving soil health. The organisation believes that a target of 25% of agricultural land under organic management would significantly reduce chemical fertiliser consumption and bolster the resilience of European farming systems. It also welcomes the Commission’s intention to increase support for organic farming under the current CAP and in future post-2027 policy frameworks. In contrast, IFOAM warns against any weakening of the Nitrates Directive, which it considers essential for the protection of natural resources. The sector is calling for an overall reduction in the production and use of synthetic fertilisers, whatever their origin.
The think tank Farm Europe welcomes the Commission’s recognition of the scale of the fertilisers crisis, but deems the measures insufficient and too lacking in precision to address the urgency of the situation. It argues that the text lacks clear guidance regarding the scope and timeline of support measures, particularly concerning the utilisation of the agricultural crisis reserve and future revisions to the ETS and CBAM. Nevertheless, it supports certain avenues, such as links between the Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming Regulation (CRCF) and ETS revenues, as well as efforts to foster circularity with digestates, biomethane and bio-based fertilisers. Farm Europe maintains, however, that the short-term measures remain inadequate.
Among NGOs, concern is also running high, albeit for different reasons (see EUROPE 13868/13). According to the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), the plan fails to address the structural causes of the crisis and risks entrenching an agricultural model dependent on fossil fuels.
The NGO believes that dependence on nitrogen fertilisers derived from fossil gas remains a major contributor to soil, water and air pollution as well as to ammonia emissions. It considers that the Commission’s strategy, which includes support for fertiliser production, amounts to perpetuating a costly and polluting system.
Conversely, the EEB advocates a reduction in inputs, improved nutrient recovery and the strict application of the ‘polluter pays’ principle. It also calls for a broader transformation of the food system, including a reduction in livestock numbers. The organisation warns against any weakening of European climate policies, particularly the ETS and CBAM, and criticises the proposed relaxations to the Nitrates Directive, arguing that they would exacerbate water pollution and increase treatment costs for citizens. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)