EU Fertilising Products Regulation

Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 establishes harmonised rules for placing EU fertilising products on the market, ensuring safety, quality, and transparency. It applies to a wide range of products, including inorganic fertilisers, organo-mineral and organic fertilisers, soil improvers, liming materials, growing media, inhibitors, biostimulants, and blends.

The regulation introduces strict limits on contaminants such as cadmium to protect human health and the environment. It also sets requirements for labelling, traceability, and conformity assessment to guarantee product reliability and consumer confidence. By creating a single EU market for fertilising products, the regulation facilitates trade and innovation while maintaining high safety standards.

A key objective is to encourage the use of secondary raw materials and biobased inputs, supporting the transition to a circular economy. This framework enables the safe reuse of organic waste-derived products in agriculture, reducing dependency on non-renewable resources and promoting sustainable nutrient management.

Relevance to bio-waste and/or circular bioeconomy:

The regulation supports circular bioeconomy principles by allowing fertilisers made from organic waste streams to enter the EU market under strict safety and quality criteria. This legal framework promotes the valorisation of bio-waste into valuable agricultural inputs, reducing landfill disposal and fostering resource efficiency. It encourages nutrient recycling and sustainable soil management, aligning with EU climate and waste reduction goals.

 EU (EEA relevance)

Full title: Consolidated text: Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 June 2019 laying down rules on the making available on the market of EU fertilising products and amending Regulations (EC) No 1069/2009 and (EC) No 1107/2009 and repealing Regulation (EC) No 2003/2003 (Text with EEA relevance)

Publication date: 2019 (consolidated 2024)

Instrument type: Regulation

Binding for EU MS: Yes

Keywords: fertilising products, bio-waste, circular economy, organic fertilisers, biostimulants, resource efficiency, harmonisation, safety standards, labelling, nutrient recycling