EU fertilisers: Council agrees terms of mandate
EU ambassadors agreed today on a mandate on a draft regulation to improve the existing rules on the circulation of fertilising products in the internal market.
This mandate enables the Presidency of the Council to begin negotiations with the European Parliament in early 2018.
The proposal sets out requirements for placing fertilising products on the EU market.
These requirements will include obligatory maximum contaminant levels, the use of defined component material categories and labelling requirements.
It is important to promote the wider use of innovative fertilisers and offer a more diverse range of fertilising products to agricultural producers in order to make food production more cost-effective and resource-efficient. This has to be done in the context of the circular economy and the protection of the environment and human health. The Estonian presidency welcomes the fact that it has been possible to reach a Council negotiating position today.
Tarmo Tamm, Minister of Rural Affairs of Estonia
The proposal follows the principle of optional harmonisation among member states, which means that non-harmonised fertilising products will continue to circulate within the internal market.
EU fertilising products that will bear the "CE marking" will have to fulfil certain requirements to benefit from free circulation. All CE marked EU fertilising products will fall within defined product function categories and respect harmonised rules.
However, manufacturers will continue to have the possibility of placing non-EU fertilising products on their national markets, which will not be CE-marked.
The latter will fall outside the scope of the future regulation and will be regulated under national rules, including their contaminant values. Non-EU fertilising products would thus be available on national markets only, as well as on the markets of those member states with similar or less strict requirements.
Background
Fertilising products are used to improve plant growth, mainly in agriculture.
The new proposal, which will replace the current 2003 Fertilisers Regulation, includes all types of fertilisers (mineral, organic, soil improvers, growing matters, etc.).
One of its main objectives is to encourage large scale fertiliser production from domestic organic or secondary raw materials in line with the circular economy model, by transforming waste into nutrients for crops.
It is one of the proposals under the EU's circular economy action plan.