Organic and safe fertilisers in the EU

Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee members today endorsed a deal struck with the Council on the new rules for placing fertilising products on the EU market. the existing EU rules Currently do not cover all types of fertilisers.

“This Regulation, part of the Circular Economy Package, opens up the internal market for all types of fertilising products. Farmers and producers will benefit from the new law as administrative burdens will be scaled back”, said Mihai Ţurcanu MEP, the European Parliament’s Rapporteur for the new law on CE-marked fertilising products, after today’s approval of the deal in the European Parliamentary committee.

The new rules will ease access to the EU Single Market for fertilisers from organic or recycled materials and will set limits for cadmium. "The agreed text will significantly reduce health and environmental risks for consumers and make it easier for producers to sell fertilisers across the EU", stressed the Rapporteur. The limits for cadmium content, a heavy metal which poses a serious health and environmental risk, have been set at 60mg/kg and will be applied three years after the entry-into-force of the new rules.

"A single, harmonised limit is finally in place at European level for all contaminants, especially for cadmium, which is the one that worries the Member States most", said Elisabetta Gardini MEP, EPP Group Spokeswoman in the Environment Committee. "Since this is a very sensitive issue, the cadmium limit established by the Regulation can be reviewed after seven years from its entry-into-force", she said.

"This deal is a great success for the EPP Group. We have brought home an excellent result for SMEs. The new rules for fertilisers include reasonable limits for contaminants", concluded Gardini.