In view of the upcoming Fertilising Product Regulation set for July 16, 2022, the European fertilisers industry is urging the European Commission to show some flexibility around the implementation of new fertiliser regulations.
The industry has said that its committed to providing farmers with all the quality nutrients they need in order to feed a growing world population.
The European fertilisers industry also confirmed in a statement that it supports the development of EU rules on placing fertilising products on the market and therefore supports the application of the new EU Fertilising Product Regulation.
Fertilizers Europe said in a statement: “However, it is clear that we are confronted with a complicated and technical piece of legislation, which can only be imperfectly applied by July 16, 2022.”
Challenges for fertiliser industry
Considering the current state of play, Fertilizers Europe said it acknowledges the difficulties faced by the industry in achieving the full compliance with the provisions envisaged by the new regulation.
It said: “We ask the European Commission and national authorities to show understanding and to accept imperfect compliance with the new rules, for a minimum period of 12 months.
“This will grant the industry the flexibility needed to ensure a continuous nutrient supply and to deliver on food security.”
According to Fertilizers Europe, the following elements constitute examples of hurdles to the immediate application of the new regulation:
- Current lack of accredited Notified Bodies, which are required to perform the products’ conformity assessment, makes it impossible to have products assessed and a continuous placement on the market;
- Conformity assessment of products will have to be carried out against a set of harmonised standards which are not yet fully developed;
- More difficulties than anticipated in obtaining the required detailed information on component materials from international suppliers;
- Delays in finalising the legal provisions on some amendments (i.e., by-products) still leave interpretation difficulties, such as for tolerances;
- Implementation process is being slowed down by the practical consequences of the war in Ukraine. One example is represented by the difficulty of procuring packaging material from Ukraine, a traditional supplier of these products.