Negotiators from the Council of the EU and the European Parliament have reached a provisional deal on the digital labelling of fertiliser.
The agreed proposal from the two institutions amends current legislation and, according to the council, aims to make fertiliser labelling “clearer, simpler, and more digital”.
Digital labels take the form of QR codes or bar codes which, when scanned with a phone or other device, takes the user to a webpage where the information on the product will be displayed.
The proposal will introduce the possibility to opt for a digital label on EU fertilising products, with the aim that this will improve the readability of labels, leading to a more efficient use of fertilising products, and simplifying the labelling obligations for suppliers while reducing costs for the industry.
The agreement would encourage the wider use of digital labelling while including measures to provide physical labels when they are “most needed”.
The agreement also specifies that digital labels will be available for a period of 10 years from the moment that the product is placed on the market.
Under the proposed new regulation, suppliers of fertilising products will be able to communicate labelling information in a physical format, a digital format, or a combination of the two.
This differs from the original proposal from the European Commission, under which a digital-only format would be allowed in certain cases.
The council said that its position on the proposal would ensure that consumers, including vulnerable groups or people with limited digital competences, have the necessary information (including health and environmental protection, agronomic efficiency, and contents) through physical labelling.
Digital labels for products sold without packaging (in bulk) would be allowed under the agreement, provided that the information of the label is also displayed in a physical format in a visible place at the point of sale.
This provisional agreement will now have to be formally endorsed by both the full European Parliament and the full Council of the EU before coming into force.
However, the proposal includes a stipulation that the new rules will only apply two-and-a-half years after the regulation enters into force, in order to give time for new technical rules to be developed.