Regulation (EU) 2019/1009: The new EU Fertilisers Regulation

The new EU Fertilisers Regulation was published today in the Official Journal of the European Union.

 

Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 will repeal the existing fertilisers regulation, Regulation (EC) 2003/2003. The older regulation had harmonised the EU mineral fertilisers market, but there have been diverging national rules and standards for other fertilising products. This means that non-harmonised fertilisers, such as those produced from domestic organic or secondary raw materials, are associated with additional compliance costs that discourage companies from finding new markets. Regulation 2019/1009 now harmonises these requirements and also sets limits on a range of contaminants in mineral fertilisers, encouraging a move toward more environmentally-friendly agriculture.
 

The new regulation was approved by the European Parliament at the end of March 2019, and the Council adopted it in May. Today’s publication in the official journal marks the final stage in the legislative process, but although the regulation enters into force in 20 days’ time, it won’t actually start to apply (and repeal Regulation 2003/2003) until 16 July 2022.