ECOFI has welcomed the compromise reached at today’s trilogue meeting (20 November) on the fertilising products regulation, and now calls for swift adoption of the text to provide regulatory certainty to business and allow for implementation of the new regulation by 2022.

The current regulatory framework in the EU – and lack of EU market access – for organic fertilisers has constrained access to innovative farm management tools for agricultural producers across Europe. ECOFI is pleased to see that negotiators did not lose sight of the primary objective of the draft regulation – to provide a Single Market for bio-based products that contribute to more sustainable plant nutrition and soil fertility management — and were able to come to an agreement on it.

Although the regulation is not perfect and will need to be refined through delegated acts in future, the regulation is a welcome and ambitious attempt to regulate an array of innovative products for the first time at EU-level, including organic fertilisers.

President of ECOFI Mr Felice Lo Faso hailed the compromise as a landmark moment for the industry, saying: “Today, the vast majority of organic fertilisers, soil improvers and organo-mineral fertilisers are unable to access the EU Single Market. Thanks to this agreement, once it is adopted and implemented, that will change. The new regulation will give more EU farmers access to organic-based fertilisers, which will help them foster better soil fertility, plant nutrition and carbon capture.”