One of the aims of the review is to harmonise rules across the EU and to increase the share of organic fertilizers used in Europe by harmonizing cadmium levels across the EU and adopting an approval procedure for new types of fertilizers marked EC.
“But a key concern for us is that if mineral fertilizers are not strictly defined, the quality of the product will be reduced. We want a clear definition of mineral fertilizers which sets higher standards for nutrient content and an EU restricted list of types of inorganic fertilizers . We are also worried about the proposed cadmium level in phosphate fertilizers in the proposal. We believe that a limit on cadmium in phosphate fertilizers could be harmonised at 60 mg cadmium after a transition period of at least 15 years. There is no scientific evidence to justify the levels proposed by the Commission”, Copa & Cogeca Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen said.
“We are also very worried about the proposed degradation requirements for the coating polymers of the controlled release of fertilizers as it will have a major impact on the horticulture sector. We propose an appropriate European standard for this. Another point of concern is the increased competition between farm manure and organic fertilizers marked EC. We propose stronger standards for organic fertilisers and tighter labelling rules”, Pesonen added.
The proposal was released in March and could be approved by March next year, with entry into force by 2018.
Copa and Cogeca also welcome a report by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) showing EU farmers and agri-cooperatives stand to gain if import duties on fertilizers and anti-dumping duties were removed. With farmers facing increasing challenges especially high fertilizer prices, the report, commissioned by the Irish Farmers Association (IFA), shows the huge benefits for farmers if import duties were removed.
