The European Commission (E.C.) in February adopted a “Communication” concerning the visual appearance of the label on European Union (E.U.) fertilizing products as part of the implementation process of the Regulation 2019/1009 that comes into force in July 2022.
The European Union Council on May 24, 2019, adopted the new Fertilizer Regulation that harmonizes the requirements for fertilizers produced from phosphate minerals and from organic or secondary raw materials that can be sold on the E.U. market (GM May 24, 2019).
The guidelines are meant to serve as a guide for European fertilizer producers to develop a customized labeling. While not yet legally binding, they have been welcomed by Fertilizers Europe.
The Brussels-based fertilizer manufacturers’ organization said the guidelines provide “much needed clarity” for European fertilizer producers to adapt their products’ labeling to the requirements set in the Regulation, and on what information needs to be included.
Russian fertilizer group PhosAgro has also welcomed the E.C.’s labeling guidelines, and in particular the voluntary “green” labeling.
Under the new Fertilizer Regulation, which comes into force on July 16, 22, the sale of phosphate-based fertilizers containing more than 60 mg of cadmium per kg of P2O5 will be prohibited throughout the E.U. region. Under the new regulation, manufacturers of mineral fertilizers with cadmium content below the benchmark of 20 mg of Cd per kg of P2O5 may use a voluntary green label on their packaging.
In July 2026, the EC will consider in its next report further tightening of restrictions on cadmium.
“The voluntary green labeling is in line with both the European Green Deal and the new Farm to Fork Strategy goal of limiting the impact on arable land of fertilizers with high levels of harmful contaminants,” said PhosAgro. “The labels underscore the Commission’s commitment to transitioning to sustainable agriculture and to maintaining healthy soils that are not contaminated with heavy metals, which, in the long term, will protect the health of plants, animals, and humans, thanks to the production of higher-quality food.”
PhosAgro CEO Andrey Guryev said: “PhosAgro always welcomes measures to increase the transparency of fertilizer production and supply chains for end consumers. Farmers have the right to choose their crop nutrients based on all available information about their composition.”
Phosphate rock from Russia’s Murmansk region – the core of PhosAgro’s phosphate-based and NPK fertilizer production – is naturally low in cadmium (less than 20 mg of Cd per kg of P2O5).