In March, MEPs signed off new regulation on fertilisers by 582 votes to 38 with 7 abstentions at a plenary meeting of the European Parliament.
The new regulation is a revision of the 2003 regulation and covers all types of fertilizer. The proposal for the revision was first put forward by the commission in March 2016 as part of the EU’s circular economy action plan.
Discussions in trilogues were delayed by failure to reach an agreement on maximum limits for cadmium content in phosphate fertilizers, with the commission’s proposal demanding a much lower maximum than was believed realistic by industry and member states.
The final agreement sets a maximum of 60mg/kg in CE marked phosphate fertilizers from the date of application of the regulation, which is 2022. The final agreement also includes a review clause, obliging the commission to look at the limit four years after date of application.
The regulation also opens the possibility to use a voluntary “low cadmium” label where a product has less than 20mg/kg cadmium.
The file will now go to the council for the final sign off, after which it will be published in the Official Journal of the EU.