The revision of the Fertiliser Regulation deleted from the Commission’s work programme

The revision of the EU’s Fertiliser Regulation that aimed to include organic fertilisers was deleted from the Commission’s work programme.

At the moment, only mineral fertilisers are recognised under EU legislation. The Commission services have been working for years to correct this by revising the EU’s legislation to also include organic fertilisers in the form of digestate and compost. This subject has been at the core of EBA’s activities for nearly five years. Unfortunately, the new European Commission decided to remove the review process of this important legislation out of its work programme.  This means that the inclusion of organic fertilisers into EU law was officially halted for the time being, putting into question whether organic fertilisers will be recognised within EU law in the years to come.

Fortunately, there have been indications that the European Commission intends to reintroduce this revision. No information has been formally confirmed for the moment, but it is possible that it may be introduced as an element of the Circular Economy Package. This would be a positive development, as it has the potential to anchor the inclusion of organic fertilisers within a larger EU strategy that is highly popular among decision-makers and citizens alike. Should that be the case, although there may be other alternatives, then a new proposal could be expected by the end of this year or the beginning of 2016.