Fertilisers

1 - EU fertiliser legislation

EU has the Regulation (EC) No 2003/2003 on fertiliser, that allow fertilisers to circulate within EU. Last modification: June 2021.

The annex to this Regulation lists the names of the types of fertilisers admitted on the European territory.The philosophy of the European Regulation is to admit fertilisers that guarantee nourishment for the crops and the safety of both the food chain and the territory. A lot of attention has been put on those high nitrogen ammonium nitrate fertilisers.
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The Regulation also requires labelling, for which the manufacturer is responsible.
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This regulation applies almost exclusively to fertilisers originating from chemically extracted or produced inorganic materials. In any case, the manufacturer can choose between European or national labelling, in accordance with the principle of mutual recognition. All other fertilisers, of an organic nature), are not regulated by these rules, but governed by national laws.
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NEW: The new EU Regulation on fertilisers

The new EU Regulation (EC) 2019/1009 on fertilisers (and repelling the current one), applies as of 16 July 2022, ​

​The new Regulation introduces new requirements related to quality, safety, and labelling of fertilising products and extends the scope to organic fertilisers, organ-mineral fertilisers, growing media, bio-stimulants, and other products. The Regulation also harmonises EU rules for products derived from waste organic materials and by-products and provides rules to recover nutrients into secondary raw materials.

​It introduces the following major issues:

  • Opening the single market for more fertilising products: The regulation will provide common rules on safety, quality and labelling requirements for all fertilising products traded across the EU. It will open the market for products which are not currently covered by harmonisation rules, such as organic and organo-mineral fertilisers, soil improvers, inhibitors, plant biostimulants, growing media or blends.
  • Limit values for toxic contaminants in fertilising products: The regulation introduces limits for toxic contaminants for the first time. This will guarantee a high level of soil protection and reduce health and environmental risks while allowing producers to adapt their manufacturing process to comply with the new limits.
  • Maintaining optional harmonisation: A manufacturer can choose between either applying the new regulation and CE-marking the product or complying with national rules and sell the product to other EU countries based on the mutual recognition rules.
​A Working Group is charged on the smooth implementation of the new Fertilisers Regulation. For more details on the already ongoing work on the implementation of the new rules, follow the activity of the Commission expert group on fertilising products.
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Frequently asked questions, related to Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 on fertilising products (the ‘Fertilising Products Regulation’)​
The mutual recognition principle

​​The rules for other fertilising products (such as organic fertilisers) are not harmonised by this regulation. They are governed by national laws and the mutual recognition rules apply
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2 - The new Technical Specifications on fertilising products 

On 21 April 2021, European Committee for Standardisation (CEN published 82 new Technical Specifications on the new Fertilising Products Regulation (EU) 2019/1009.

As of July 2022, producers need to demonstrate that their products meet the requirements of the Fertilisers Regulation before affixing the CE mark.

European standardisation have to ensure that European standards (EN) and technical specifications (TS) provide analytical methods for manufacturers to verify compliance of their products with the regulation.

The Standardisation Request is structured according to a 'two-phase approach': the TS describe the test methods, which are then validated through inter-laboratory studies and consolidated in subsequent European Standards (EN).

From February to April 2022, as part of the first phase, CEN published 82 Technical Specifications. This is the result of the work made by over 300 experts participating in 15 Working Groups distributed over three Technical Committees.
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​These results have been published by these Technical Works (TC):

  • CEN/TC 223 'Soil Improvers and Growing media' (whose secretariat is held by NEN) - Read
  • CEN/TC 260 (2016) 'Fertilisers and liming material' (whose secretariat is managed by DIN) - Read
  • CEN/TC 455 (2021) 'Vegetable biostimulants' (secretariat held by AFNOR) - Read

 The ENs that will follow up on these TS are currently under development and are expected to be published in 2024 and 2025.
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​LATEST EU DOCUMENTATION


Fertilisers in the EU - Prices, trade and use - 2019 - Read

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