A functioning circular economy is crucial for the future of the European Consortium of the Organic-Based Fertilizer Industry (ECOFI). ECOFI has signed this European Biostimulants Industry Council’s (EBIC) open letter to the European Commission, along with 14 other signatories from across the agroindustry and those representing consumers. The letter calls on the European Commission “to undertake a comprehensive review of the European Union’s approach to the regulation of materials from animal origin”. Without this, the EU will not be able to make a functioning circular economy a reality, missing an opportunity to enhance EU competitiveness while staying within its planetary boundaries, particularly when it comes to reducing nutrient losses and pollution.
Organic-based fertilisers are circular products that take by-products from various industries and transform them into innovative plant nutrition products that help farmers improve yields, promote soil health and reduce nutrient losses. However, certain organic-based fertilisers derived from animal by-products are constrained from entering the EU market today due to restrictive Animal By-Product Regulations. ECOFI calls on EU regulators to ensure policy coherence between the Animal By-Product Regulation and the Fertilising Products Regulation, as well as other EU legislative frameworks, to promote the development of the European circular economy and to facilitate access to market and uptake of circular, sustainable products such as organic-based fertilisers.
For more information about ECOFI and this open letter, contact Jessica Fitch (jessica@prospero.ag)