The European Commission committed to launch in 2023 an EU Fertilisers Market Observatory to increase market transparency and examine ways in which to obtain more real-time data from actors in the chain and at national level.
The commission has published the call for applications with a view to formally launch the group of experts before summer 2023. The call is open until April 4.
This new observatory will be modelled after the market observatories already in place for several agricultural sectors such as milk, crops, and fruit and vegetables.
Organisations representing stakeholders of at least 10 EU member states and active within the EU in the fertiliser supply chains are invited to apply.
Fertilisers Market Observatory
The observatory, chaired by the Agriculture and Rural Development deaprtment of the European Commission (DG AGRI), will be composed of up to 20 members appointed for a period of five years.
It will, among other tasks, provide first-hand information, including data, about the fertiliser market’s situation, as well as factors affecting it, and exchange experiences and good practices.
Fertilisers play a significant role for food security. Following Russia’s war against Ukraine, global food security and food prices are being impacted by a general mineral fertiliser and energy crisis.
In that context, at the end of last year, the European Commission presented a range of actions and guidance to tackle immediate challenges as well as reduce our dependencies.
Reinforcing the resilience and sustainability of our food systems in the medium- and long-term must be achieved while securing yields, according to the commission.
Fertiliser
Fertilisers play a significant role for food security, according to the commission.
It said that in the short-term, it is important to have comprehensive and public data on price, production and trade of fertilisers.
In the medium- and long-term, the use of fertilisers should be optimised and mineral fertilisers should be substituted, whenever possible, by organic fertilisers, the commission further stated.
This will help reduce EU’s dependence on gas, used to produce nitrogen fertilisers, and on mined mineral fertilisers such as phosphates and potash, as well as reduce the carbon footprint of the sector, it added.
The commission has said that under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), financial support is available to farmers with a view to optimising their fertiliser use, thereby enabling them to achieve environmental, climate and economic benefits.
In the CAP Strategic Plans, close to €98 billion, corresponding to 32% of the total CAP funding (EU and co-financing) will be devoted, until 2027, to delivering benefits for the climate, water, soil, air, biodiversity and animal welfare, and to encourage practices beyond the mandatory conditionality.
The plans aim to support sustainable management practices, such as organic fertilisation, extensive grassland management, growing of leguminous and catch-crops, or agroforestry in 35% of the EU’s agricultural area.
Crop rotation is also expected on around 85% of the EU CAP-supported tillage land. This will favour further cultivation in the EU of more leguminous crops that are fixing nitrogen in the soil.