The European Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, has today (Wednesday, October 19) met with several representatives from the fertiliser industry.
The meeting comes ahead of the EU Commission commencing work on a communication document outlining how it plans to deal with the rising price of fertiliser.
The commission’s policy is expected to be presented in mid-November.
In a social media post, Commissioner Wojciechowski described today’s meeting as “very important”.
The online briefing included Yara, Borealis, and Grupa Azoty, along with Fertilizers Europe which has a membership of 17 manufacturers across the EU and eight national fertiliser associations.
“We strongly underlined the importance of a strong domestic industry and the need for long-term solutions, not just short-term fixes,” Jacob Hansen, director general of Fertilizers Europe, said on Twitter.
Commissioner Wojciechowski previously stated that farmers cannot be expected to support the burden of higher fertiliser costs alone.
“The costs must be shared by all participants in the food chain – manufacturers, retailers and, as a last resort, consumers,” he said.
The meeting follows a call from EU agriculture ministers for further measures to ensure that fertiliser is affordable for farmers.
At Monday’s meeting of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council ministers discussed the impact on the markets of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
As a result of the war and the energy crisis driven by the disruption of gas supplies from Russia, the prices of key agricultural inputs, such as fertiliser, have increased significantly.
The minister said that the affordability of fertiliser is impacting both farmers and fertiliser producers, resulting in a decline in productivity and a potential impact on future harvests.
The council welcomed the decision by the commission to draft a communication on the issue. However, it also called for further measures to be put in place by the EU, including the extension of state aid.