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EP approves FPR: towards better use of secondary raw materials in agriculture

March 29, 2019 by Barbara Verplancken

With a resounding 538 to 38 margin, Members of the European Parliament voted to approve the Compromise on the Fertilising Products Regulation (FPR) on Wednesday, 27 March 2019. This agreement is a big step forward towards a more circular, bio-based economy and sustainable agriculture on several counts:

  • All farmers across the EU will have access to the same and growing toolbox of innovative products to allow them to manage plant nutrition and soil fertility sustainably despite ever more volatile growing conditions;
  • The introduction of environmental and human safety parameters mean that organic and organo-mineral fertilizers, organic soil improvers and other EU fertilizing products will meet high standards and compete on a common footing;
  • Organic-based fertilizers will have access to the Single European Market for the first time, promoting the growth of an innovative sector with a long history of transforming secondary raw materials into high-quality, safe fertilising products.

The agreement on the FPR provides a sound base for making European policy and farming practices fit to meet the challenges of sustainable agriculture.