Today the European Parliament voted on a report to update rules on fertilizer products. In line with our commitment to bring about a circular economy through ambitious policy proposals, the Socialists and Democrats pushed for new rules on fertilizers which will decrease waste, encourage reuse of raw materials and level the playing field for organic fertilizers compared to traditional mineral ones. The new harmonized rules will ensure the correct and well-functioning of the European market for fertilizers.

The Socialists and Democrats also pushed through stronger limits for cadmium in mineral fertilizers, ensuring a gradual reduction of cadmium in the fertilizers for sale in the EU. Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal that is a carcinogenic and mutagenic substance harmful to human health and the environment.
 
Marc Tarabella, S&D rapporteur on fertilizer products, said:

“The new rules on fertilizers will help the development of a circular economy by creating new channels for waste recovery, nutrient recycling and boosting organic fertilizers. By setting out rules for the first time at a European level for many organic or innovative fertilizer products, we achieved a big step forward. Putting organic fertilizers on an equal footing with more traditional mineral ones has great potential for reducing waste and decreasing the environmental impact of agriculture. The recovery of nutrients from waste is estimated to replace 30 % of inorganic fertilizers currently on the market. We found a good balance between encouraging innovation and protecting human health and the environment in this text, which could well be a turning point for the circular economy.”

Nicola Danti, S&D spokesperson on the internal market and MEP, added:

“The new rules on fertilizers will guarantee the well-functioning of the European market for fertilizer products, while ensuring that CE marked fertilizer products on the market fulfil the requirements on human, animal and plant health and safety. All products will be labelled in a uniform way allowing European farmers to make informed choices, contributing to making food production more cost and resource effective.

“Safe and correct use of fertilizers is key for agricultural and environmental sustainability and for food safety. With today’s vote on updating the rules on fertilizer production, we Socialists and Democrats, have been pushing to change the way we reuse, recycle and recover our resources, moving one step closer to a circular economy in the EU.”